Recently received primary ballots

[Majday]

If this isn't allowed, please let me know.

Just received our primary ballots and in the past the envelope to send in covered personal info with no affiliation to party (that i recall). So this year the envelope clearly makes you specify party affiliation or vote does not count. It has to match whose name you check inside or its invalid.

Have others had this happen? I'm curious as I feel this shouldn't in any way be available to anyone until it's opened and counted.

If It's allowed I'll post pics.

Jameson

 

[JFrank]

Seems like it’s been going on for a few years now. It sucks , it’s also nobody’s damn business which party or who you vote for. I think it’s just a way to flood an area with campaign spam bullshit.
Have a nice day.

 

[snert]

Walk in, don't mail

 

[Rset]

If this isn't allowed, please let me know.

Just received our primary ballots and in the past the envelope to send in covered personal info with no affiliation to party (that i recall). So this year the envelope clearly makes you specify party affiliation or vote does not count. It has to match whose name you check inside or its invalid.

Have others had this happen? I'm curious as I feel this shouldn't in any way be available to anyone until it's opened and counted.

If It's allowed I'll post pics.

Jameson

Any chance you live in a Blue State that wants to stay that way?

 

[Majday]

I completely agree. Makes it super easy for someone to "misplace" certain affiliations and make them disappear. How ironic. Makes it soon much easier to trust the system that much more- they'll "handle" it right. Sure Makes for concealing who you voted for rather difficult. And yes in the great evergreen blue state of WA. Where like many other states 90+% of counties are red.

 

[TTE]

Walk in, don't mail

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
this
X 1k

 

[Fuj]

Walk in while you still can.....

 

[Olde Man]

Maybe no great conspiracy here. Might be as simple as to know what pile to throw the ballot into without opening it and exposing whom you voted for. I assume that Republicans count their primary ballots and the Democrats count theirs.

 

[jdh47]

Conspiracy or not do you really want to trust your vote to so many other people handling it? I just vote in person.

 

[J_idaho]

I completely agree. Makes it super easy for someone to "misplace" certain affiliations and make them disappear. How ironic. Makes it soon much easier to trust the system that much more- they'll "handle" it right. Sure Makes for concealing who you voted for rather difficult. And yes in the great evergreen blue state of WA. Where like many other states 90+% of counties are red.

So are those in alphabetical order or the level of deep rooted hatred??

 

[Krogen]

I'm in the same state as OP and encountered the same thing. It's because the presidential primary ballot doesn't follow the top two election process the other elections do. I don't like it one bit. It's nobody's business what party I affiliate with. The bad thing - and this is key - is that my ballot won't be counted if I don't check a box. I don't know what happens if I check a box different than the party I vote for.

 

[Majday]

So are those in alphabetical order or the level of deep rooted hatred??

Just some of the first things that popped to mind, not in any particular order. Keep going the way it's going here I'll be heading over to your neck of the woods.

Bunch of FFL's will be closing once congress passes the bill for 24hr monitoring video/audio and 7 years servailance records

 

[Majday]

Maybe no great conspiracy here. Might be as simple as to know what pile to throw the ballot into without opening it and exposing whom you voted for. I assume that Republicans count their primary ballots and the Democrats count theirs.

That may be however it makes for the "conspiracy" that much easier as well. Where I live it's not much of a problem as I'm not near any big cities with low population density

 

[fn1889m]

Washington state has a top two primary. Both candidates in the general election can be from the same party. However, I believe there is a federal appellate case which held that a party had a right to restrict those who can vote for their party’s nominee to party affiliates. I believe this affidavit on the envelope is to satisfy that requirement. This is on the outside of the envelope, because the ballot itself is anonymous, and does not contain identifying information. Once opened and validated, the ballot is then separated from the envelope which had identifying information, so voters cast secret ballots. I guess the postman can see which party you affiliate with, but they can’t see who you vote for.

The Washington Secretary of State has no jurisdiction over party affiliation. You do not declare a party when you register to vote. You can change back-and-forth every election if you want. Because there’s no other registry, the county auditors put the check box on the envelope, not the ballot. But once the ballot is opened and the vote is validated, the ballot is separated from the envelope and so from all identifying material.

It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s not an evil plot either. Only self declared Republican affiliates can vote for the party’s nominee. It also keeps Democrats from voting for the least electable Republican in the primary, and then switching back to their party in the general election. And vice versa for Republicans who cross over.

Prior to this, Washington had an open primary where the top vote-getter from each party made it to the general election, even if they were not the top two candidates, overall. Washington then had a lot of crossover votes in the primary, which were not there in the general election.

 

[ebb]

The political parties have way to much influence in the voting and election process. I live in a congressional district that is strung out over many miles so that a political party gets its way and they have a super majority in this district. The PERSON they elected ran on the promised she would get everyone in her district a $1000 every month. All of this districting was done behind closed doors by the political parties with the governments permission.

 

[DCC83501]

Conspiracy or not do you really want to trust your vote to so many other people handling it? I just vote in person.

Why wouldn't a guy just vote in person? Why trust anyone else to make sure your vote is counted?

 

[wildcatter]

I have only mailed in once, it was received by our local board of elections and a few weeks later I received a confirmation for both, the receipt of my vote and how it was recorded.

I peefer to vote in person, there an equal number of both party representatives are present at every station except the machine I vote on. This assures no consperacys.

 

[Kittitas George]

Washington state has a top two primary. Both candidates in the general election can be from the same party. However, I believe there is a federal appellate case which held that a party had a right to restrict those who can vote for their party’s nominee to party affiliates. I believe this affidavit on the envelope is to satisfy that requirement. This is on the outside of the envelope, because the ballot itself is anonymous, and does not contain identifying information. Once opened and validated, the ballot is then separated from the envelope which had identifying information, so voters cast secret ballots. I guess the postman can see which party you affiliate with, but they can’t see who you vote for.

The Washington Secretary of State has no jurisdiction over party affiliation. You do not declare a party when you register to vote. You can change back-and-forth every election if you want. Because there’s no other registry, the county auditors put the check box on the envelope, not the ballot. But once the ballot is opened and the vote is validated, the ballot is separated from the envelope and so from all identifying material.

It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s not an evil plot either. Only self declared Republican affiliates can vote for the party’s nominee. It also keeps Democrats from voting for the least electable Republican in the primary, and then switching back to their party in the general election. And vice versa for Republicans who cross over.

Prior to this, Washington had an open primary where the top vote-getter from each party made it to the general election, even if they were not the top two candidates, overall. Washington then had a lot of crossover votes in the primary, which were not there in the general election.

Twelve years ago WA. was using the party caucus method. I don't remember if the caucuses were at the same time to prevent someone going to the other party's also (voting twice). But unlike other states WA. public employees that provide election oversite have honesty, integrity and ethics. The Republican Secretary of State had great ability and was highly praised. The state hasn't had any voting problems that would change an election outcome that I can remember. We have had some very close elections, but we believe our court, that made the final judgement.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

One of the easiest ways to counter mail in ballot fraud claims, seperate the envelope from the ballot. No way to determine origin(where the voter lives) of the ballot, if the voter had already cast a vote. Than declare every vote must be counted. Second only to ballot harvesting. And third, not requiring a witness signature on off-site ballots.

 

[ronsatspokane]

Twelve years ago WA. was using the party caucus method. I don't remember if the caucuses were at the same time to prevent someone going to the other party's also (voting twice). But unlike other states WA. public employees that provide election oversite have honesty, integrity and ethics. The Republican Secretary of State had great ability and was highly praised. The state hasn't had any voting problems that would change an election outcome that I can remember. We have had some very close elections, but we believe our court, that made the final judgement.

In WA if you vote for anything other than the left side of the political spectrum you are essentially wasting your time. I still vote but I already know what the results will be. Having spent the last 6 months living in downtown Seattle and seeing how it has been essentially destroyed, I hear people saying that the voters will eventually see the error of their ways and change the way the vote. That is not true. The people who vote for the destruction of their cities are true believers. They are certain that theirs is the righteous path. When it fails they blame the other guy and double down on their stupidity.

Couple that with the fact that whenever the voters reject a new tax initiative Bob Ferguson takes the voters to court and wins (that is when new taxes are placed on the ballot which most of the time they are not), the violations of the 2nd amendment and attempts to restrict the 1st amendment and we are clearly living in a totalitarian state. Sad but true.