Comments generated by yesterday’s post regarding mail-in ballots prone to fraud and overwhelming to count: 

“In Illinois, it was not unusual for voters in certain parts of the state who were picked up off of Skid Row in Chicago and bussed to a precinct, all for their vote and a reward of cheap wine or whiskey. I do not believe that any State has a corner on how to stop election fraud.”  

“Limiting vote-by-mail simply disenfranchises voters who wish to participate in the election process…perhaps the goal?”

“(we) have never heard so much drama. We both are pretty disappointed in the need to make more out of this than safety.”

“What bothers me is the 2016 election the mail-in ballots were not opened until the next day and everything had already been called.”

My bad.

I have no problem with mail-in ballots as a means to vote.  I found it easier to fill it out at home than standing at a voting machine.  I had less pressure and allowed me to research ballot issues and candidates.  That everyone has this opportunity is welcome-I do not want to disenfranchise anyone eligible to vote.

My concern is the process.  I spent days at the Orange County Registrar of Voters (ROV) after the November 2018 election as an inspector for Election Integrity Project California.  Under pressure to complete the tally by December 5, ROV employees were working seven days a week –I found them committed in their respective jobs.  

My concerns:

1. All mail-in-ballot voting will take a long time to count and we won’t know the outcome of an election for weeks or months.
2. An arbitrary deadline to have votes counted adds unrealistic pressure to complete the count.
3. Every registered voter should be able to vote.  Unfortunately, the government agencies responsible for mailing the mail-ballots may not be correctly maintaining eligible voter lists and thus ballots may be mailed out to non-existent people.  People move, die, etc. but remain on the list.
4. Verification of mail-in ballots with the voter’s original registration is a momentous job.
5. Mishandling of mail-in ballots occurs (click Here for example).
6. There are instances of forging ballots (click Here for example) and where an election is close, those forgeries may make the difference between winning and losing an election.

(Voter fraud occurs when people cast invalid ballots (perhaps because they’re not eligible to vote), forge ballot signatures, vote under false names (including the identities of the deceased or former state residents who have moved), or vote more than once in an election).