Looks Like We Can Add WV, ID, IL and MT to States Where it's Worth it to Write in Ron Paul

[CPUd]

I like the idea of a 0-Party system. Only real issue is that 5 candidates could each take 20%, and there would have to be runoffs. But I'd like to see at least 67% or possibly 85% requirement to get elected. Voters would have to be comfortable with going to the polls once a month.

 

[gorgonzola]

They are paying hell already, but there will be real hell to pay if the write in votes in Maine are not counted correctly!

The Maine GOP is nuts.

 

[Crystallas]

Are you saying if someone votes in local races, but doesn't vote for anyone for President, they toss the whole ballot?

Here the entry alone is simply not counted. Much like the other way around(when someone only votes for the President, but leaves the rest of the ballot blank).

 

[sailingaway]

Here the entry alone is simply not counted. Much like the other way around(when someone only votes for the President, but leaves the rest of the ballot blank).

I looked up your statute and it said it has to be counted, but it is counted as 'undervote' for that office. However, it is counted as a category that equals 'none of the above'. If it is large we can spread it, ourselves, but it is counted, just in with other 'undervotes'. I looked it up when someone else said that.

 

[Tudo]

We're not "allowed" in Florida?

 

[sailingaway]

We're not "allowed" in Florida?

If you write it in, it will go into the general 'undervote' account unless they feel like counting them in your county. In some counties they DID count them in 2008 in Florida, but they didn't have to. However, there is a count of the 'undervote' which is a 'none of the official choices' vote, and for me that is second best to getting my vote for Ron counted, because 'none of the above' is the next best statement to me, showing illegitimacy and rejection, imho.

But people feel differently about it.

 

[Crystallas]

I looked up your statute and it said it has to be counted, but it is counted as 'undervote' for that office. However, it is counted as a category that equals 'none of the above'. If it is large we can spread it, ourselves, but it is counted, just in with other 'undervotes'. I looked it up when someone else said that.

Sorry, but as I said before, they aren't counted. At least how you expect them to be counted. But hey, if you want to suddenly and selectively trust the government for things that might sound favorable to you, then by all means.

Let me ask you this, if IL gets 10,000 undervotes. Do you automatically assume they are Ron Paul votes? They can't be write ins with bad spellings(which happens OFTEN), or people who get called away from the poll to get to an emergency of sorts, people who are sick of waiting in line and had to leave to go to the bathroom... seriously, the amount of scenarios that you see at the polls from people who simply aren't prepared or forced to vote(to get a sticker as proof) are a HUGE factor in the "undervotes". It is objectively impossible to take the number of undervotes and assume they are protest/RP whatever votes.

It wouldn't matter anyways, if each polling place has around 5-6 election judges, and they want to get out(after serving a 14+ hour day), those undervotes, regardless of the rule, get ignored. They are the election judges, ie: it's now who votes, its who counts the votes, ect. That is very true. At least being an officially declared candidate in IL, the candidate has SOME authority to challenge. But even that much, doesn't guarantee their wish will be honored. But hey, here is me holding a target to my head, shoot the messenger.

 

[sailingaway]

Sorry, but as I said before, they aren't counted. At least how you expect them to be counted. But hey, if you want to suddenly and selectively trust the government for things that might sound favorable to you, then by all means.

If you are saying that despite the statute they won't count them anyhow, that could go to counting votes for people ON the ballot as well, if you are suggesting they willl just break the law.

Let me ask you this, if IL gets 10,000 undervotes. Do you automatically assume they are Ron Paul votes? They can't be write ins with bad spellings(which happens OFTEN), or people who get called away from the poll to get to an emergency of sorts, people who are sick of waiting in line and had to leave to go to the bathroom... seriously, the amount of scenarios that you see at the polls from people who simply aren't prepared or forced to vote(to get a sticker as proof) are a HUGE factor in the "undervotes". It is objectively impossible to take the number of undervotes and assume they are protest/RP whatever votes.

LOL! People go to the ballot then leave half way through voting? I've never seen that, but I suppose in a medical emergency it could happen. As to being lumped in with the other, that is true. If being NONE OF THE ABOVE better says what you think than being pegged specifically as a vote for someone who ISN'T Ron Paul, you would want that option. If being pegged for a different candidate who is on the ballot says more of what you want to say that is fine, but that isn't going to be assumed to all be Ron Paul votes either.

It wouldn't matter anyways, if each polling place has around 5-6 election judges, and they want to get out(after serving a 14+ hour day), those undervotes, regardless of the rule, get ignored. They are the election judges, ie: it's now who votes, its who counts the votes, ect. That is very true. At least being an officially declared candidate in IL, the candidate has SOME authority to challenge. But even that much, doesn't guarantee their wish will be honored. But hey, here is me holding a target to my head, shoot the messenger.

If they are going to ignore what is by law required to be counted, I don't see what assurance you have that they are counting anything.

 

[BestVirginia]

That may be so, but I'm going third party this year. As Paul should have.

 

[sailingaway]

That may be so, but I'm going third party this year. As Paul should have.

I wish he had as well. But he is still the one I want to vote for. However, we aren't all going to vote together in the general.

 

[svf]

LOL! People go to the ballot then leave half way through voting? I've never seen that, but I suppose in a medical emergency it could happen.

Far more common situation is people vote for the "top of the ballot" races and ignore all the local, judges, district, etc. stuff. Also lots of people (myself included) simply don't vote if there is only one candidate running for a given office.

For example, in my Illinois district there were 51,205 total votes cast in 2008, however only 39,727 votes were cast for the (unopposed) State Representative office.

Due to these kinds of situations, "undervotes" are far more likely to happen in races other than President.

 

[CPUd]

Sorry, but as I said before, they aren't counted. At least how you expect them to be counted. But hey, if you want to suddenly and selectively trust the government for things that might sound favorable to you, then by all means.

Let me ask you this, if IL gets 10,000 undervotes. Do you automatically assume they are Ron Paul votes? They can't be write ins with bad spellings(which happens OFTEN), or people who get called away from the poll to get to an emergency of sorts, people who are sick of waiting in line and had to leave to go to the bathroom... seriously, the amount of scenarios that you see at the polls from people who simply aren't prepared or forced to vote(to get a sticker as proof) are a HUGE factor in the "undervotes". It is objectively impossible to take the number of undervotes and assume they are protest/RP whatever votes.

It wouldn't matter anyways, if each polling place has around 5-6 election judges, and they want to get out(after serving a 14+ hour day), those undervotes, regardless of the rule, get ignored. They are the election judges, ie: it's now who votes, its who counts the votes, ect. That is very true. At least being an officially declared candidate in IL, the candidate has SOME authority to challenge. But even that much, doesn't guarantee their wish will be honored. But hey, here is me holding a target to my head, shoot the messenger.

For those who are going to leave the Pres. line blank - the "expectations" are not nearly as high as you are thinking. It's pretty clear they are not going to mention anything about it in the election day coverage. No one is expecting them to. But the numbers are public record. They will report everyone who cast a ballot, even if it is just a 1-line vote in a race for state rep. We can add up all these up for each precinct, and we can call this number X.

They will report the numbers for each Presidential candidate, per precinct. We can add all these numbers up, and we can call this Y.

We assume X > Y, and we take the difference between X and Y, and we call this number Z. We can then get the ratio Z/X, which is our number of interest.

Observe that we can do similar for previous elections. So, if Z_2000 / X_2000 = 0.03, and Z_2004 / X_2004 = 0.027, and Z_2008 / X_2008 = 0.033, then if Z_2012 / X_2012 = 0.174, it is clear that something anomalous has happened.

Again, it doesn't matter that people are going to have to go to their county election boards to get these numbers, in fact, it is expected that this will have to be done. The message is not directed at the public, it is directed to our "minders" - to find a new game, because people are done voting for their bogus candidates.

 

[sailingaway]

Far more common situation is people vote for the "top of the ballot" races and ignore all the local, judges, district, etc. stuff. Also lots of people (myself included) simply don't vote if there is only one candidate running for a given office.

For example, in my Illinois district there were 51,205 total votes cast in 2008, however only 39,727 votes were cast for the (unopposed) State Representative office.

Due to these kinds of situations, "undervotes" are far more likely to happen in races other than President.

sure, which is why a big undervote for President would be interesting, if we spread it, after the fact.

 

[moostraks]

The message is not directed at the public, it is directed to our "minders" - to find a new game, because people are done voting for their bogus candidates.

well said!

 

[Tinnuhana]

Didn't know where to post this, but the word needs to get out. We've all seen the articles, mainly in Tea Party and GOP circles, saying that military personnel are being disenfranchised. I bet this is part of what's happening, since it almost happened to me today. I filled in my absentee ballot and went to the on base voting assistance office for the envelopes. The person working there insisted in writing in the COUNTY affice and address instead of the city clerk address for my home of record. Also, the envelope, for return address, asked for my APO address.
According to the clerk in my home of record, I had to have my NH street address and my ward in town as the return address, and mail it to the town. I wonder how many military personnel, etc. are getting their votes lost because they're following the directions of untrained people staffing the voter assistance desks?

 

[sailingaway]

Didn't know where to post this, but the word needs to get out. We've all seen the articles, mainly in Tea Party and GOP circles, saying that military personnel are being disenfranchised. I bet this is part of what's happening, since it almost happened to me today. I filled in my absentee ballot and went to the on base voting assistance office for the envelopes. The person working there insisted in writing in the COUNTY affice and address instead of the city clerk address for my home of record. Also, the envelope, for return address, asked for my APO address.
According to the clerk in my home of record, I had to have my NH street address and my ward in town as the return address, and mail it to the town. I wonder how many military personnel, etc. are getting their votes lost because they're following the directions of untrained people staffing the voter assistance desks?

I don't know, and I have been seeing stuff on that. Do you want to start a thread to collect info on that?

 

[Tinnuhana]

I can give it a shot. But it's Saturday here so the voting assistance office won't be open till Monday. I did talk with the office clerk at Nashua City Hall (NH) and she thought that the people helping out are poorly trained. They are military enlisted for the most part and really think they are helping everybody vote. Sort of sad. I can put in an ICE comment card and see what happens with that.
Part of it may be different with the state. The "official" absentee envelope asks for the APO/FPO address, so that may be one error, depending on state methods. The people working there look up the address in a book. This is where the other error occurs. I have a friend at church who works at AFN, so maybe we can get it on air. Problem is a lot of people have already sent theirs in.

 

[paulbot24]

I apologize if this is listed somewhere else here in grassroots but how can I find out if Arizona is counting write-ins? Me and my wife just received our ballots and want to make sure......Thank you in advance.

 

[paulbot24]

Fine. Fair enough. I'm being lazy. I'll look it up and find out.