It's Not Over 'Til It's Over

Dear Group, It is Election Day morning. Most Election Day mornings in the past I had long since dropped my ballot in the Dropbox. For me the results were "in the hands of the voters." I naively imagined everyone had done their homework already. I was wrong. Again. Knocking on doors over the past week I've encountered tens of registered voters disgusted with Trump, disgusted with what's going on in government, even disgusted with McMorris Rodgers (among those who have ever heard of her)...registered voters who threw out their ballot with the junk mail days ago. I sympathize with their disgust (I feel it, too) and then explain why I, an unlikely canvasser, feel driven to knock on their door. (My short presentation involves pre-existing conditions, my experience trying to get McMorris Rodgers to listen, and my personal confidence in Lisa Brown.) One young man who had long since thrown out his ballot said, "If I had a ballot right here, I think I would mark it for Lisa Brown just to humor you." I said, "I'll make you a deal. If you give me your birthdate and you promise you'll vote I'll bring you a replacement ballot later today." He entrusted me with his birthdate. When I was next near a computer I used his name and birthdate on MyVote.wa.gov, clicked on MyBallot (actually his ballot in this case), printed his ballot. and brought it (all eleven pages of it) to him later that day. He was happy to talk through the various races as he filled out his ballot. His completed ballot went to a Dropbox. Will this act make a difference? Yes. It is one more vote in an election in which every vote is counted and every ballot not cast is a voice wasted, a civic duty ignored. More than that, I was rewarded with a glimpse into the life of a young family living a little on the margin. I fancy this young man will remember the encounter with this gray haired old man. Perhaps he'll be more willing to save his ballot and fill it out in the next election. Everything below is a repeat of yesterday and concerns the details of the Spokane County Voter Service Centers--places you can, at the last minute, still cast a ballot that could make a difference. Keep to the high ground, Jerry Election Day Buzz Lives on--If you help In Spokane County there are six "Voter Service Center" locations that are open on Election Day, today, Tuesday, November 6, between 7AM and 8PM. I've reproduced the locations again below. (Copied from: here.) If you are knocking on doors or calling friends on Election Day and you find someone who thinks they are a registered voter but have lost or never received their ballot (but can be convinced to vote) it's still not too late. You could offer to give them a ride to a Voter Service Center--just like the old days! At these Voter Service Centers you can: Drop Off Your Ballot Get Replacement Envelopes Vote a Provisional Ballot Use an Accessible Voting Unit Get Answers to Voting Questions Let's clarify some of that. I called the Elections Office with some questions and a very nice elections worker filled me in. A "Provisional" Ballot has everything on it that anyone anywhere in Spokane County has an option to vote on. The Elections Office takes these ballots over the next several days and cross-checks to make sure they are cast by a registered voter. Based on the voter's address the "Provisional" Ballot is extracted so only votes cast in that address's overlapping voting districts are actually counted. (e.g. my address is in LD3, the provisional ballot includes candidates in LD6 that I might mark, but in the extraction process, the LD6 votes I may have marked are discarded.) If that sounds like a nuisance for the Elections staff, it probably is, but they strive to get it exactly right. To use an "Accessible Voting Unit" a voter with a disability brings their official ballot, puts it in the device and the device, in private, reads and displays the contents of the ballot to the voter and offers an easier way of marking the ballot than using of a black pen to fill in a tiny oval. Neat! A registered voter who lost or cannot find or never received their ballot can also go to MyVote.wa.gov and, using their name and birthdate, can print out a replacement. (There's nothing illegal about printing such a ballot out for someone who asks you to do so, but you will need their first and last names [as they were registered] and their date of birth. Of course, the voter him or herself needs to fill out and sign the ballot. Signatures are checked!) These ballots can be mailed in a regular envelope (I think these DO require postage, unlike the official envelopes) or they can be dropped at the ballot drop box locations (usually libraries). Put the "optional" daytime phone number on your outer ballot envelope. They really do check the signature against the signature on record. When there is a question they use the phone number to contact you. It is the voter's responsibility to be sure, if they are using the mail, that the last pickup from that mailbox is after the time they drop the ballot in the box. I was assured that the mail service is very meticulous about those times and about getting all the mail properly post-marked that gets picked up at the deadline for that mailbox . Election Day can still buzz! It is not over until it is over. Don't slack off! Bottom line: The Spokane County Elections Office (and, I'm sure other County Elections Offices in Washington State with which I am less familiar) do everything they can to make it easy to vote right up to the deadline. Take advantage of their diligence. It is our civic duty. The ballot casting process isn't over until Tuesday evening, November 6, at 8PM. The final tally won't be "certified" and official until November 27, three weeks later. It could come down to that. Voter Service Center Locations--Spokane County Area Location Address Downtown Spokane Elections Office 1033 W Gardner Ave STA Transit Plaza 701 W Riverside Ave Northside North Spokane Library 44 E Hawthorne Rd Southside Spokane South Hill Library 3324 S Perry St Spokane Valley CenterPlace Event Center 2426 N Discovery Pl West Plains Cheney Library 610 First S