Anonymous wrote:Why is VA so jacked up? They can't even get the ballot right.

The problem (re: "witness required") is with the inner envelope that has to be used to send back the ballot. The problem isn't on the actual ballot.

Virginia had printed those envelopes well before it made the rule change that said we no longer had to have a witness. So it was too late to change what had been printed and which needed to be sent out to voters on the schedule required.

But that is an explanation and NOT an excuse. VA should have realized and resolved the witness-signature problem long ago--we've been in a pandemic since March and known an election was coming for years. No one, months and months ago, caught the fact that a required witness signature would be a problem and a discouragement to some voters? Arrrgh. Now voters ourselves have to spread the word. And it'll give this administration something to point to to sow the idea that the vote isn't legit. Just what we didn't need.

Spread the word.

Why is VA so jacked up? They can't even get the ballot right.

Anonymous wrote:The only location for drop boxes in Fairfax County right now is the government center. They are installing an outside drop box with a camera (was supposed to be operation this weekend -- Sept 26). They have a drop box inside. You do not have to wait in line. Just walk into the building... follow the line to the voting room and you will see someone sitting next to a blue drop box.

When the 15 satellite voting stations open on Oct. 14, there will be drop boxes at each location ONLY DURING THE VOTING HOURS (b/c the drop boxes have to be watched).

And there will be drop boxes at all the precincts on Nov. 3.

I'm a PP. Thanks for this detail. I had found that they'd be doing drop boxes at the additional early voting locations but hadn't seen any mention of the outdoor one at Government Center. Outdoor ones are really needed but I see why they all need to be monitored.

As a PSA to anyone who returns to this thread:

There is another thread here on the local politics forum about the Virginia ballot and the fact that it has a line requiring a witness signature. That signature is NOT required but was printed on the ballots before the change, dropping the witness requirement, was made. Please, PLEASE get word out to everyone you can that there is NOT a witness requirement (nor does it invalidate a ballot if you DO have a witness sign).

This is a truly bad error that is likely to result in people thinking they can't vote because they can't or are afraid to get a witness. Elderly people or those who are medically vulnerable and don't have a live-in family member might think they don't want to risk going to find a witness. Please spread the word about this problem so everyone knows: You and you alone can sign the VA ballot and despite the line on the inner envelope (highlighted in yellow, good GRIEF) -- you do not need a witness signature!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/virginia-absentee-ballot-instructions-confusing/2020/09/23/4ec4dfa8-fd1b-11ea-9ceb-061d646d9c67_story.html
From the Post article:
"Some Virginia voters who received absentee ballots by mail this week were left scratching their heads at the included instructions, which told them they didn’t need witness signatures this year to make their ballots count — but, if they wanted their ballots to count, they needed witness signatures.

Virginia voters do not have to have a witness signature on their absentee ballots this fall.

State and local elections officials acknowledged the problem but pointed to late changes to Virginia law eliminating the commonwealth’s long-standing witness-signature requirement for absentee voting this year as a reason for the confusion."

The only location for drop boxes in Fairfax County right now is the government center. They are installing an outside drop box with a camera (was supposed to be operation this weekend -- Sept 26). They have a drop box inside. You do not have to wait in line. Just walk into the building... follow the line to the voting room and you will see someone sitting next to a blue drop box.

When the 15 satellite voting stations open on Oct. 14, there will be drop boxes at each location ONLY DURING THE VOTING HOURS (b/c the drop boxes have to be watched).

And there will be drop boxes at all the precincts on Nov. 3.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would drop your mail in ballot at a drop box in stead of mailing it in. They are located around the county.

I’m in VA, but this is what I’m doing. I received my ballot yesterday and will drop it in the drop box at the FFX Gov Center during early voting hours on Saturday.

Oops, apparently I’m not doing it on Saturday (No Saturday early voting yet), but you just drop it during any early voting hours VA.

New poster.

Can anyone tell me if there are drop boxes currently available in Fairfax County other than at Government Center? it looks like the boxes are only at Gov. Center right now and at the other early voting locations once those open on Oct. 14.

Has anyone dropped a ballot at Gov. Center during early voting so far? We need to avoid crowds and being indoors for long (even masked) and I'm wondering if people going just to use the drop box are having to navigate through the lines and crowds or if the box is just a fast drop and dash away from the lines of voters. Is it inside the lobby, and do you just walk past the voting line? Thanks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would drop your mail in ballot at a drop box in stead of mailing it in. They are located around the county.

I’m in VA, but this is what I’m doing. I received my ballot yesterday and will drop it in the drop box at the FFX Gov Center during early voting hours on Saturday.

Oops, apparently I’m not doing it on Saturday (No Saturday early voting yet), but you just drop it during any early voting hours VA.

Anonymous wrote:I would drop your mail in ballot at a drop box in stead of mailing it in. They are located around the county.

I’m in VA, but this is what I’m doing. I received my ballot yesterday and will drop it in the drop box at the FFX Gov Center during early voting hours on Saturday.

I would drop your mail in ballot at a drop box in stead of mailing it in. They are located around the county.

Our polling place (in VA) is accepting mail in ballots on election day.

Follow the mail in instructions to the letter, be very thorough, and hand deliver the completed mail in ballot.

That is what I would do in your case.

Early on I had requested a mail-in ballot for the election. I recently had a rethink about that and inquired about changing it to in person voting. I was told by the MD election board person that I could go to the polls and vote in-person (I need to bring the mail in ballot with me) but that my ballot would be a provisional ballot if I voted in person. Does anyone have a sense whether a provisional ballot is less risky than a mail-in ballot as far as having the ballot disqualified for some reason?