Why the Presidential Election on November 3rd is going to be different this year and what you need to know to ensure your ballot is received on time:

Many states have revised their ballot procedures in the wake of the pandemic. To see what the protocol is in your state, see here: https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/how-to-vote-2020/

Election Day is not going to be only one day. It may take week for the results to be declared. Why? Due to the pandemic, many states will be relying on mail-in absentee ballots. As a result, it is going to take states much, much longer to receive and count these ballots [1].

Why is it going to take longer? Well, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is currently facing a backlog crisis in which letters, packages, and paychecks are taking longer than expected to deliver. [2]

The new Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy (a GOP and Trump donor), has implemented changes that include: refusing overtime for mail carriers and cutting hours at some USPS offices, amongst others [3].

At this point, you should be EXTREMELY concerned over whether your ballot will be delivered by mail in time to be counted. So, how can you ensure that your ballot will be received in time?

(1) Make sure that you are registered to receive your ballot at the correct address (In CA, you can register or check your registration status here: https://registertovote.ca.gov )

(2) When you receive your absentee ballot, fill it out, sign it, and mail it back AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE (or at the latest by October 20, two weeks prior to Election Day)

(3) If it is after October 20, drop your absentee ballot off in person OR if you aren’t comfortable, appoint someone else to drop it off for you.

If you’d like to go even further to help out this Election Day, you can:
- Volunteer at a polling location (esp. if you are young and healthy)
- Help out those who are older or immunocompromised by offering to be an appointed deliveree of their absentee ballot
OR...

- Buy stamps and sign petitions to support the USPS (text USPS to 50409) and stop them from being privatized (which will ultimately hurt small businesses!)

Sources:

[1] https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-were-planning-for-an-election-day-that-could-last-months/
[2] https://www.npr.org/2020/07/23/894794250/critics-say-changes-to-usps-may-completely-transform-the-post-office
[3] https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/8/7/21358946/postal-service-mail-delays-election-trump-mail-in-ballots

Further reading for your consideration:

Mail-in voting fraud is not actually as large of a concern as Trump would like you to believe.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/false-narrative-vote-mail-fraud
https://www.vox.com/2020/8/11/21358960/trump-mail-voting-sabotage-explained

To wrap this all up, exercising your right to vote is something I feel very strongly about and I believe everyone should be able to vote without boundaries. The United States has a long ways to go before that is truly a reality for all, but I do hope one day we'll achieve it.

Also, if anyone has any questions, comments, concerns, or believes I have miscommunicated a fact or missed something entirely, please let me know. I am always open to respectful and diplomatic discussion.

i was really expecting more engagement with this thread, do you just not care? do y’all already know this stuff and my work here is done??? do tell