Absentee / Mail-in Voting

All states have some form of absentee or mail-in voting due to federal requirements. These voters normally include military and overseas citizens, voters with disabilities and students who reside in a different state. For example, absentee or mail-in ballots are sent to these military and overseas voters 45 days prior to federal elections. However, absentee or mail-in voting is often limited by states to a number of valid excuses based on age, absentee status or an inability to vote on Election Day.

Some states have a greater number of reasons and valid excuses to vote absentee ballots by mail or in-person in an election office. A number of states have no-excuse absentee or mail voting. Lastly, a number of states have implemented an entire method of mail-in balloting that includes return of ballots to secure boxes or by postal mail. Oregon instituted an all-mail-in balloting system in 1998 and other states like Washington and Colorado have instituted similar all mail ballot methods of voting.

Mail-in and absentee balloting provides certain vulnerabilities to the electoral system:

  • One stated general purpose for no-excuse absentee or mail ballot voting is to increase convenience and reduce long lines on Election Day. However, “Election Day” has become “Election Month,” which has increased the overall costs of election administration. County election offices that must process a large number of mailed ballots will experience significant delays in releasing official election results. A month or more of voting dramatically increases the overall costs to political campaigns for poll watching and get-out-the-vote efforts prior to Election Day.
  • Mail-in ballots are not cast in the secure polling place where precinct poll workers can confirm addresses and verify identification. A great deal of voter fraud and abuse of absentee and mail-in ballots has been documented across the country. Absentee or mail-in balloting may spur a short-term increase in turnout in local elections; however, there is no evidence that voting by mail increases overall turnout for the long term in general elections.
  • Absentee or mail-in balloting requires the use of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to transmit and return the ballot. This often causes delays to the election office. Citizens in states that use mail-in ballots often authorize the return of ballots to secure mail boxes that voters can use if they distrust the postal service.

A number of states authorize or require in-person absentee voting with verification by voter ID, and some states require a voter ID at the time of absentee or mail-in ballot request or return.

Alternatively, many states that allow absentee or mail-in voting use signature comparison to verify the identity of the voter. Many believe that signature verification is error-prone and not uniformly implemented by election officials across the country. While signature verification does catch a small percentage of invalid ballots or voter fraud, the system often fails to identify a great many irregularities associated with absentee or mail-in voting. Alternatively, many argue that signature verification routinely disenfranchises thousands of voters when it is used to ferret out an invalid signature.

ACRU Commentary

California’s Zombie Voter Apocalypse

By Hans von Spakovsky and Jana Minich Hollywood has always loved making films about the walking dead, but in Southern California it appears they have a real life problem with "zombie" voters. An investigation by CBSLA2 and KCAL9 found that hundreds of deceased persons are still on voter registration rolls in the area, and that many of these names have been voting for years in Los Angeles. For example, John Cenkner died in 2003 according to Social Security Administration records, yet he voted in the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010 elections. His daughter told the station that she was "astounded" and couldn't "understand how anybody" could get away with this. Another voter, Julita Abutin, died in 2006 but voted in 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014. According to CBS, the county confirmed they have "signed vote-by-mail envelopes" from Abutin since she passed away. So either someone has been forging her signature or her ghost has quite an earthly presence. The investigation revealed that 265 deceased persons voted in Southern California, 215 of them in Los Angeles County. Thirty-two were repeat voters, with eight posthumously-cast ballots each. One woman who died in 1988 has been voting for 26 years, including in the 2014 election. This report comes twenty years after the contested election of Rep. Loretta Sanchez. D-Calif., from this same area. An investigation by a U.S. House committee found that hundreds of illegal ballots were cast by noncitizens and improper absentee ballots

Meet the Police Officer Who’s Been Charged with Voter Fraud

By Hans von Spakovsky Call the cops! It looks like someone is committing voter fraud in Indiana again! Ironically, in this case, however, the alleged fraudster who has been arrested by the Indiana State Police was a cop. Unfortunately, even officers who graduate from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy are capable of violating the public trust by allegedly trying to steal an election. That is the case with Officer Lowell Ross Colen of the Rising Sun Police Department, a small Indiana town of around 2,300 people on the Ohio River across from Kentucky. Colen was apparently an average guy at the police department. According to his chief, Dave Hewitt, Colen was "fairly well liked and very loyal." Hewitt described Colen as the "kind of guy that would come in and put his time in." However, it seems Colen was doing more than providing for the public safety while on duty at the Rising Sun Police Department. Colen wanted individuals to vote for his father, Francis "Swede" Colen, in the 2015 May primary for city council. So, he allegedly proceeded to fill out absentee ballot applications for people who were not even eligible to vote in the election, and then voted with these ballots after he received them from election officials. According to the Indiana State Police Department, he forged the signatures of the supposed voters on some of the documents before turning them into the Ohio County, Ind. clerk's office. In some cases, Officer Colen is even believed to have been in uniform and on duty while committing the acts. In a twist of fate, the voting scofflaw was arrested in his home on charges of official misconduct, forgery, voter fraud and ghost employment. He has been charged with 13 felony counts, and is, of course, entitled to a presumption of innocence, so it remains to be seen what the final disposition will be. Nonetheless, this goes to show that, contrary to what some skeptics say, voting fraud does occur in this country. In local elections with small margins of victory, fraud is especially able to be the deciding factor.

News

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10th District Legislators: ‘We Must Be Able to Vote In Person’

Things for which we need ID include buying alcohol and tobacco, opening a bank account and applying for welfare programs. Three New Jersey legislators want to change current state law to require photo ID for voting, and we agree — requirements to identify yourself for your most important citizen activity should be a no-brainer. Sometimes bills pass, sometimes they don’t, but they always make a statement.

Thousands of Ineligible Persons Could be Mailed Ballots If Nevada Goes All-Mail in November Election

On July 24th, Nevada’s Election Integrity Project notified Nevada officials of grossly inaccurate voter rolls it uncovered that could undermine the integrity of the state’s election results. Its report includes 10 categories of findings with myriad problems in more than 100K records. As Nevada liberals call for mail-only elections, this group demonstrates why this would be a huge mistake and a field day for fraud.

Feds Accuse Ex-Philadelphia Congressman Michael ‘Ozzie’ Myers of Stuffing Ballots

Former Philadelphia Congressman Michael “Ozzie” Myers went to jail for political bribery and conspiracy in the 1980s and became a political consultant for fellow Democrats when he got out. Now he has been indicted for bribing an election judge and ballot stuffing in three elections starting in 2014. He allegedly took money from candidates to pay the judge to add fake votes. Vote fraud and vote fraud conspiracy wrapped up in one case.

Pennsylvania mail ballot problems kept tens of thousands from voting in primary election

To make sure your vote counts, vote in person. Wear your mask, stay six feet behind your neighbors, wash your hands when you’re done, and don’t mail your ballot. With evidence coming in from mail-in ballot fails from several states, USPS admits it cannot handle the load. Because of postal drag, at least 92,000 votes in Pennsylvania’s recent primary were not counted. Don’t let that be you in November.

Men Admit To Skid Row Scheme Offering $1, Cigarettes For Fraudulent Voter Registration

“Four people admitted to offering homeless people money and cigarettes in exchange for false and forged signatures on ballot petitions and voter registration forms.” Five others are awaiting trial. The slap on the wrist the confessed fraudsters received through an LA court included community service. The last place these fraudsters need to be is in the community. Vote fraud is real, and it is organized.

Nadler in 2004: ‘Paper Ballots Are Extremely Susceptible to Fraud’ – News Punch

New York Congressman Jerry Nadler in 2004: “Paper ballots are extremely susceptible to fraud. Just paper with no machines? I can show you experience which would make your head spin.” New York Congressman Jerry Nadler in 2020 (we are paraphrasing, but you get the gist): “Paper ballots now create their own paper trail.” The hypocrisy might be funny if we were not talking about voting, our most sacred right as Americans.