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livingdebThird parties can send you unsolicited applications to vote by mail. The Democrats and Republicans do it. So does the Center for Voter Information, "a non-profit, non-partisan" organization helping eligible citizens register and vote. I don't even know who all else. They do not coordinate with each other and apparently don't always bother to update their records on who is registered (and still living) on a very regular basis. (But Texas counties, which are unbiased, cannot do this.)
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Based on a small sample size, it looks like at least half those unsolicited applications that get mailed in are duplicates, meaning that the voter has already requested to receive a ballot by mail. I'm sure many of the voters can't remember if they did it, aren't sure if the request they sent for the last election applies for this election, or are just feeling a bit paranoid and want to make sure.
But some seem to think that the county has sent them this because they are not set up, and they are angry at having to fill out this form multiple times. One voter sent a blank one except for a note that they are not going to fall for this scam. I really don't know what most people are thinking.
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In the county elections office, the workers are not allowed to discuss politics, wear political clothing, etc. Yet, of course they accept all applications to vote by mail (you don't even need a form so long as you have all the required information), and that means there are a bunch of pictures of Trump in the office.
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The President has said that voting by mail leads to fraud, unless it is absentee voting, which the kind he does. And the Republicans have sued Harris County for mailing out unsolicited applications to vote by mail. Yet, the Republicans have themselves mailed out unsolicited applications to vote by mail (calling them "Absentee Ballot Request Forms"). It appears most of these applications have gone to registered voters over the age of 65, not to voters expected to be absent due to military service or college attendance. When you shout to the world that voting by mail is wrong and immoral and untrustworthy, and then whisper to your supporters that it's their duty to do it, that sure sounds like manipulating the election to me. And nobody cares--the news is all, oh, what-a-surprise, hypocrisy.
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To be fair, it appears that Harris County wants to send applications to *all* their registered voters, even though some of them are not qualified to vote by mail (in Texas, you need an excuse to vote by mail, and only a few excuses count: being over the age of 65, having a disability, being out of the county for the duration of early voting or election day, or being in jail during that period (but still qualified to vote). Whereas I'm guessing that usually third parties only send applications to people known or suspected to have one of these reasons (people in the military and people over 65). I can't find information on any of this. It feels all creepily hazy.
**
Based on a small sample size, it looks like at least half those unsolicited applications that get mailed in are duplicates, meaning that the voter has already requested to receive a ballot by mail. I'm sure many of the voters can't remember if they did it, aren't sure if the request they sent for the last election applies for this election, or are just feeling a bit paranoid and want to make sure.
But some seem to think that the county has sent them this because they are not set up, and they are angry at having to fill out this form multiple times. One voter sent a blank one except for a note that they are not going to fall for this scam. I really don't know what most people are thinking.
**
In the county elections office, the workers are not allowed to discuss politics, wear political clothing, etc. Yet, of course they accept all applications to vote by mail (you don't even need a form so long as you have all the required information), and that means there are a bunch of pictures of Trump in the office.
**
The President has said that voting by mail leads to fraud, unless it is absentee voting, which the kind he does. And the Republicans have sued Harris County for mailing out unsolicited applications to vote by mail. Yet, the Republicans have themselves mailed out unsolicited applications to vote by mail (calling them "Absentee Ballot Request Forms"). It appears most of these applications have gone to registered voters over the age of 65, not to voters expected to be absent due to military service or college attendance. When you shout to the world that voting by mail is wrong and immoral and untrustworthy, and then whisper to your supporters that it's their duty to do it, that sure sounds like manipulating the election to me. And nobody cares--the news is all, oh, what-a-surprise, hypocrisy.
**
To be fair, it appears that Harris County wants to send applications to *all* their registered voters, even though some of them are not qualified to vote by mail (in Texas, you need an excuse to vote by mail, and only a few excuses count: being over the age of 65, having a disability, being out of the county for the duration of early voting or election day, or being in jail during that period (but still qualified to vote). Whereas I'm guessing that usually third parties only send applications to people known or suspected to have one of these reasons (people in the military and people over 65). I can't find information on any of this. It feels all creepily hazy.