How to make your vote count
It was 8:05 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20 — day two of early voting — and the parking lot at Kootenai County Elections was full. Whether that’s because locals are keen to be heard, or just don’t want to stand in line on Nov. 3, let’s hope that voting enthusiasm holds out.
It’s projected that more Americans than ever before will vote absentee this election. As simple as it sounds, there is still a learning curve to do it right. And with three options to vote, there’s really no excuse not to exercise this precious right (and earn the right to complain later).
Early voting. If you don’t have an absentee ballot (the deadline to request one has passed), you can still vote early and in person through Friday at the elections office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Absentee. If you already have an absentee ballot, you can mail it in today. If you leave it late or don’t feel comfortable with mail, you can simply drop it off before 8 p.m. on Nov. 3 at the elections office — in a secured dropbox — at 1808 N. Third St. in Coeur d’Alene.
Just be careful with that absentee ballot. Even seasoned voters make simple mistakes, including a certain family member who filled theirs out with a pencil.
Uh-uh.
In the 2020 primaries in five key battleground states, rejection rates of returned absentee and mail-in ballots ranged from under 1 to nearly 2 percent, according to an MIT Election Data and Science Lab report. Problems with signatures and late arrival are the most common reasons for rejected ballots.
Rejection rates were higher among first-time absentee voters, probably because they didn’t read the instructions carefully. Still, this suggests that in the vast majority of cases, votes cast by mail are counted.
Since each and every one should, please remember these ballot how-tos:
Ink. Blue or black ink only — it’s on the instructions. Please read the instructions! Don’t assume or rush, lest your vote not count.
Color like a big kid. Don’t leave scraggly lines outside the oval, and don’t leave the oval with blank spots. Stay within the lines and fill it in completely.
Don’t vote for more than one per office, unless instructed otherwise on the ballot. If you overvote, it won’t count at all.
One ballot per “yellow secrecy sleeve” and per return envelope. Don’t return multiple ballots in one envelope. And don’t skip the step of inserting a completed ballot in the yellow secrecy sleeve first, then in the pre-addressed return envelope.
Signatures. Don’t forget to sign the affidavit on the return envelope. Signatures are verified by comparing them to voter registrations. No powers of attorney accepted — the envelope must be signed by the voter.
No stamp needed. It’s pre-stamped, so just seal it. If it’s not received by the elections office by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, regardless of postmark, it won’t count. So if you aren’t mailing with plenty of extra time (USPS recommends a week), it may be wise to drop it off personally.
All of this is on the blue instruction sheet that comes with the absentee ballot. If a problem is found and time allows before Nov. 3, voters may be contacted. But don’t count on that; best to take a few extra minutes to do it right.
If you’re not yet registered to vote, it’s too late to do it online for this election — but you can register on election day Nov. 3 and vote in-person. Just take state ID with current address or, if not current, a recent utility bill or bank statement to prove in-county residence.
One more really cool tip: If you can’t remember if you’re registered or in which precinct, want to know if your ballot’s been mailed, or if it’s been received, you can check your personal voter record at Idahovotes.gov by clicking “check your voter record.”
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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who’s voted. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.