Voting while on long cruise?

[RMLincoln]

I will vote a month early at the courthouse, don't want to take a chance with delays in absentee ballot mailings.

 

Nice that you will be home a month early when Early Voting begins; also nice for us that we will be on a cruise, leaving before early Voting is available thus the difficulty. But if we can get the ballot by email as promised we will be happy to use that method this time. :) m--

[prescottbob]

Ahoy!

 

Sounds like everyone "out of the Country" at the time of the November election is getting "squared away", as it were, voting-wise.

 

As mentioned in an earlier posting, our Voter Registration office here in Prescott will be emailing the ballots 4-5 weeks prior to Nov. 8 (early ballots) as an attachment to our email address and we can return as an attachment back to their office or Fax.

 

I did call to see if my wife & I needed to do it separately (i.e. returning the ballots) and the lady told me we could just use the same responding email for both ballots but to use separate attachments (PDF or Word).

 

Since we'll be overnighting in Sydney on 21-22 October we should have adequate time to vote one way or another.

 

All be well & safe travels.

Bob

[DeepWaterMariner]

Thanks to the information on this thread I was able to submit a FPCA request to my county elections division. I'll have to print off the absentee ballot after receiving it via email, fill it out, and mail it in from some island in the South Pacific.

[utahtea]

I'm on another HAL cruise but with the same problem. Thank you everyone who responded because of you I didn't settle for just having a ballot mailed to a port authority address in the South Pacific! I had to convince my registrar of voters that that was not a good solution because ballots weren't guaranteed to get to me and there was also the chance of missing ports. Yeah...like I want to make a overseas call $$$ and request they send me another ballot to another port I could possibly miss! Now my ballot will be emailed to me!

 

Utahtea

[RMLincoln]

Ahoy!

 

Sounds like everyone "out of the Country" at the time of the November election is getting "squared away", as it were, voting-wise.

 

As mentioned in an earlier posting, our Voter Registration office here in Prescott will be emailing the ballots 4-5 weeks prior to Nov. 8 (early ballots) as an attachment to our email address and we can return as an attachment back to their office or Fax.

 

I did call to see if my wife & I needed to do it separately (i.e. returning the ballots) and the lady told me we could just use the same responding email for both ballots but to use separate attachments (PDF or Word).

 

Since we'll be overnighting in Sydney on 21-22 October we should have adequate time to vote one way or another.

 

All be well & safe travels.

Bob

 

I really appreciate your input Bob and getting me going in the research. I think the route I've found will work for us. Enjoy Sydney, marvelous place to visit!

[RMLincoln]

I'm on another HAL cruise but with the same problem. Thank you everyone who responded because of you I didn't settle for just having a ballot mailed to a port authority address in the South Pacific! I had to convince my registrar of voters that that was not a good solution because ballots weren't guaranteed to get to me and there was also the chance of missing ports. Yeah...like I want to make a overseas call $$$ and request they send me another ballot to another port I could possibly miss! Now my ballot will be emailed to me!

 

Utahtea

 

Glad to hear you are finding a process that will work better. :) m--

[HurricaneJane]

Perhaps one good reason to be from Oregon as we have mail-in ballots...I am able to go to County Clerk's office on the 16th of September and pickup my mail-in ballot.

[sofiegsd]

Ditto for Washington. I just called our county auditor and she put us on a list to receive our ballots early. Ours will be mailed to us on Sept. 23 but I could have selected any day after that to have them mailed. Very easy.

[donaldsc]

My brother had the same problem. He spoke to a higher level supervisor than the people who answer telephones at his local election department and they had him come down and pick up an absentee ballot. Can't hurt to try it w your local board.

 

DON

[RMLincoln]

So we filled out the forms our county board of elections gave us, brought them to town, and guess what! No good. They won't accept this process. Ok, what's next?

 

Will have to find an out of the country address and use the FVAP forms. We can still request email for delivery of the local ballot, which will probably be sent to us before we leave:confused: but we'll still have to print it out, fill it in, then scan it back, cannot take it to them in person until Oct 10th:confused:

 

sigh. I guess we'll have to come up with a port agent address as our "out of country address" even to get the ballot by email. Ugh.

 

I think i need a vacation...

 

m--

[utahtea]

So we filled out the forms our county board of elections gave us, brought them to town, and guess what! No good. They won't accept this process. Ok, what's next?

 

Will have to find an out of the country address and use the FVAP forms. We can still request email for delivery of the local ballot, which will probably be sent to us before we leave:confused: but we'll still have to print it out, fill it in, then scan it back, cannot take it to them in person until Oct 10th:confused:

 

sigh. I guess we'll have to come up with a port agent address as our "out of country address" even to get the ballot by email. Ugh.

 

I think i need a vacation...

 

m--

 

Just found out that what we submitted for voting isn't working also! ARG....we don't want to sign the FVAP document saying we reside out of the country when we don't.

 

I called HAL today and they didn't have addresses for the ports authority in Sydney and Melboure. These are the two ports that would work for our timeline since you have to take into consideration how many days it will take our ballots to reach us and then to send it back. HAL rep also said this was NOT a reliable way to receive mail but she did gave me the email addresses to contact them with.

 

I wonder if having them delivered to General Delivery at a post office in Australia would work.

 

This just seems so wrong that we have to jump though SO many hoops to be able to vote!

 

Utahtea

[ellieanne]

Just found out that what we submitted for voting isn't working also! ARG....we don't want to sign the FVAP document saying we reside out of the country when we don't.

 

I called HAL today and they didn't have addresses for the ports authority in Sydney and Melboure. These are the two ports that would work for our timeline since you have to take into consideration how many days it will take our ballots to reach us and then to send it back. HAL rep also said this was NOT a reliable way to receive mail but she did gave me the email addresses to contact them with.

 

I wonder if having them delivered to General Delivery at a post office in Australia would work.

 

This just seems so wrong that we have to jump though SO many hoops to be able to vote!

 

Utahtea

 

Just a note for your planning, the Australian Post Office is SLOW. And priority mail is expensive. My experience is letters/packages from the US take about 2 weeks, and to the US takes between 2-3 weeks. Priority mail can cut the time down to 1 week, but tracking is spotty depending on the AusPost you use.

[RMLincoln]

Just a note for your planning, the Australian Post Office is SLOW. And priority mail is expensive. My experience is letters/packages from the US take about 2 weeks, and to the US takes between 2-3 weeks. Priority mail can cut the time down to 1 week, but tracking is spotty depending on the AusPost you use.

 

I have concluded that the only way to get a ballot and submit a ballot is to do it electronically - receive ballot by email, fill it out and scan it back or fax it back.

 

Mail is, IMO, too slow to the other side of the world and too unreliable to plan on receiving a ballot in time to get it back to our county.

 

I agree it should not be this hard to vote, and in fact it isn't in many states, but just not mine. m--

[HurricaneJane]

Just found out that what we submitted for voting isn't working also! ARG....we don't want to sign the FVAP document saying we reside out of the country when we don't.

 

I called HAL today and they didn't have addresses for the ports authority in Sydney and Melboure. These are the two ports that would work for our timeline since you have to take into consideration how many days it will take our ballots to reach us and then to send it back. HAL rep also said this was NOT a reliable way to receive mail but she did gave me the email addresses to contact them with.

 

I wonder if having them delivered to General Delivery at a post office in Australia would work.

 

This just seems so wrong that we have to jump though SO many hoops to be able to vote!

 

Utahtea

In Oregon, the County Clerk sends out voting ballots...I called for absentee ballot and was instructed that the ballots would be available on the 16th of Sept for me to pick up and then I can mail from my home...Sorry, it doesn't work that way in all states.

[RMLincoln]

In Oregon, the County Clerk sends out voting ballots...I called for absentee ballot and was instructed that the ballots would be available on the 16th of Sept for me to pick up and then I can mail from my home...Sorry, it doesn't work that way in all states.

 

We almost bought land in OR, didn't realize the hidden benefits!

 

Our absentee ballots are not available until Oct 10th. But we will find a way!! m--

[utahtea]

Just a note for your planning, the Australian Post Office is SLOW. And priority mail is expensive. My experience is letters/packages from the US take about 2 weeks, and to the US takes between 2-3 weeks. Priority mail can cut the time down to 1 week, but tracking is spotty depending on the AusPost you use.

 

Thank you for the info. The ballots in my county don't get mailed until Oct. 10th and I was told it could possibly be a day or two later. ARG! That only gives the ballots 12 or 14 days to arrive in Sydney before I do.

 

IF we do get the ballot, we have enough time to get it returned. According to my registrar of voters, as long as the ballots are postmarked by Nov. 8th, they allow three days after the 8th for delivery of ballots...and what's on our side this year is that 3 days falls on the Veterans Day holiday so ballots can be received as late as Nov. 14th and be counted. I think I'll still spring for mailing it back using their Economy Air.

 

Utahtea

[sammiedawg]

I know voting is important but most elections are decided by a handful of swing states. I'm just saying.

I think it is a long shot the mailed ballots get to the right addresses in Australia. If they arrive by your deadline a lot can happen and you still might not get it. A mail clerk or port employee could well throw it away.

[Fouremco]

I know voting is important but most elections are decided by a handful of swing states. I'm just saying.

I think it is a long shot the mailed ballots get to the right addresses in Australia. If they arrive by your deadline a lot can happen and you still might not get it. A mail clerk or port employee could well throw it away.

Regrettably, that's the type of attitude that leads to almost half of eligible American voters not bothering to cast a ballot (42.5% in 2012).

[sammiedawg]

Regrettably, that's the type of attitude that leads to almost half of eligible American voters not bothering to cast a ballot (42.5% in 2012).

 

I don't think it is an attitude at all. I'm stating a fact so please don't judge me for telling the truth. And I've never missed an election, I even vote off year local races.

Some situations cannot be fixed. Every state has election laws that might not line up with international travel plans.

[Fouremco]

I don't think it is an attitude at all. I'm stating a fact so please don't judge me for telling the truth. And I've never missed an election, I even vote off year local races.

Some situations cannot be fixed. Every state has election laws that might not line up with international travel plans.

I was accusing you of holding that attitude, just pointing out that it is a regrettable one held by many Americans.

[dchip]

I have had the same experience as RM Lincoln. The first forms we got are not acceptable. I have been to the district board of elections, my congressional office and today I called the Secretary of State of California.

 

The person who handled my call said "it's your problem if you choose to be out of the country and not be here to vote. We can't circumvent the law for you. Tough". I kid you not. I don't know where to go from here. Apparently in California the earliest we can get ballots is October 8. I am beside myself.

 

Denise

[Host Walt]

I have had the same experience as RM Lincoln. The first forms we got are not acceptable. I have been to the district board of elections, my congressional office and today I called the Secretary of State of California.

 

The person who handled my call said "it's your problem if you choose to be out of the country and not be here to vote. We can't circumvent the law for you. Tough". I kid you not. I don't know where to go from here. Apparently in California the earliest we can get ballots is October 8. I am beside myself.

 

Denise

Had the same problem with our primary this past June. Their (rather slight) interest in getting me a ballot stopped altogether when I asked for a Republican ballot. I contacted the Cal Republican Party who intervened for me.

 

If you're registered with a party in California, you might be more successful contacting them.

[sammiedawg]

I have had the same experience as RM Lincoln. The first forms we got are not acceptable. I have been to the district board of elections, my congressional office and today I called the Secretary of State of California.

 

The person who handled my call said "it's your problem if you choose to be out of the country and not be here to vote. We can't circumvent the law for you. Tough". I kid you not. I don't know where to go from here. Apparently in California the earliest we can get ballots is October 8. I am beside myself.

 

Denise

 

I feel your pain but perhaps the Secretary of State official was being honest with you. State election laws rule the day.

Reading this thread I get the feeling that public officials from various states tell people what they want to hear. They suggest calling or visiting another entity, in essence they are passing you off to someone else.

[sammiedawg]

I was accusing you of holding that attitude, just pointing out that it is a regrettable one held by many Americans.

 

never mind

Edited September 10, 2016 by sammiedawg

[Fouremco]

never mind

Sorry for the typo. That should have read "I wasn't accusing you..."