Ready to Vote
By the way, my absentee ballot arrived in the mail yesterday. In an interesting twist, much of the ballot is crossed out, preventing me from voting on city and county races and all initiatives in the state. I’m OK with it, but it makes me a bit nervous–will they cross out Senate and House races next?
Apparently they might–it’s already happening in some states. According to Ruth McCreery of Democrats Abroad,
We have already found several counties that are placing restrictions on overseas voters (such as requiring copies of ID with the ballot or re-registering after the primary) that are contrary to federal law. We have also found that several California counties are sending out what is labelled a “sample ballot” instead of a real one, and some in Indiana are only sending out the ballot for state offices, with extremely obscure instructions about securing a federal ballot. One county in another state left the candidates for House of Representatives off the federal ballot!
When you get yours, better check it carefully. Make sure it is all in order, read the instructions excruciatingly carefully, do everything by the numbers, and send it back soon. I just hope the post office will get it there in time–when I sent in my absentee ballot request, by registered mail, the Japanese P.O. mucked it up and didn’t get it there until an entire month later. They still haven’t delivered me the receipt. This time I’m sending it from the Shinjuku Main Post Office, no local yokel branch for this delivery.
I got mine yesterday, but it has all elections, federal and local, open for voting. I wonder if they sent me the wrong one, especially because under “Instructions part two: Prepare the return envelope”, the pamphlet says “Print your San Mateo County residential address and today’s date.”
I am a Japanese resident, applied for the absentee ballot using the Federal Post Card Application from the US embassy, and received it here in Tokyo. My ballot came with an e-mail address for the registrar, so I sent off a question about what address to use, my former address, or what?
Hmm… I doubt there is time to apply and get another ballot, but I also doubt that I have the correct one. I’ll send it in anyway, but who knows?
Mine says the same thing–though I also have a San Mateo ballot and as you can see, most of it is crossed out. I can only figure that by “residence” they mean the residence of last record, when you lived there.
I’m not taking any chances, though–I’m going to call up the registrar’s office and ask specifically about what to do… you hear stories about some places disqualifying absentee ballots on the slightest of technicalities.