Tag: Election Day

SoCS: ballot drop-off

Vote for Democracy #60


(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

Dropping off our ballots at the election office was a breeze.

We had filled out our absentee ballots at home and followed all the instructions for signing, dating, sealing the inner and outer envelopes. We were also lucky that our ballots this cycle were relatively short with no propositions.

The two hardest parts were finding a parking place in the vicinity of the County Office Building and having to go through metal detector and pocketbook check, which I had forgotten would be part of the deal.

At the Election Office, a friendly clerk was happy to take our ballot envelopes. She opened the outer envelopes and verified our signatures with the voter rolls. We were happy that she did this because it meant there wouldn’t be any problems with having our votes counted.

We asked when they would be tallied because New York State laws used to be that all absentee ballots were held for more than a week after election day before being counted. Because of the pandemic, a lot of laws had changed, so we weren’t sure what would happen now. She told us that they opened the accumulated absentee ballots on Tuesdays and Fridays. This allows them to mark the received ballots in the system so that no one can show up at the polls on election day pretending to be us. They can begin counting the ballots on election day, so our votes will be part of the tallies reported after the polls close. We were happy that they would be part of the count on the day, especially because a couple of our races will probably be close. The more absentee ballots arriving early, the less likely that we’ll have to wait an extended time for results.

This is the first time in ages that we have voted by absentee ballot, but my surgery date will have us out of state for not only election day but also the early in-person voting dates. (We were grateful that we finally have early in-person voting in New York, which was a silver lining of the 2020 vote during the pandemic.)

So, another reminder for US citizens to check and make sure you are registered and have accurate information on the polling/ballot policies that apply to your home precinct. Make your plan and vote! It’s very important to make your voice heard. It takes all of us to make democracy work effectively.
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Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “breeze.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/10/02/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-october-3-2026/

One-Liner Wednesday: Election Cake!


The recipe for Election Cake (from Dylan Hollis’s Baking Yesteryear) that my daughter made in honor of the US Election Day yesterday is so old that it is uses yeast rather than baking powder or soda.

This delicious post is brought to you as part of Linda’s One-Liner Wednesday. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/11/06/one-liner-wednesday-road-trip/

Vote for Democracy #18

I voted!

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

While I traditionally vote in person on Election Day, due to the unpredictability of my health these past months, I decided to vote this morning at a polling place in my local library.

Prior to the pandemic, New York State did not have early in-person voting available. Absentee voting was restricted to those with health problems, those who would be travelling out of the county on Election Day, or those temporarily living away from home, such as college students. One could return ballots by mail or drop them off at the county election office. The pandemic brought in early in-person voting, although in a condensed timeframe (this year, October 26-November 3), and no-excuse absentee ballots. Still, New York’s ballot access is still more restrictive than many other states.

I feel relieved to have my ballot safely cast and ready to be added to the tally that will be announced after the polls close on November 5th, Election Day. It was important to me to have my vote counted with those cast in person on Election Day. Absentee ballots in New York are not counted until days later and I prefer to have my vote included in the tally reported on election night.

I voted to uphold democratic values and the common good and hope that all eligible voters will do the same, whether they already have voted, are getting ready to vote early in-person or by mail, or are voting on Election Day.

Democracy works best when we elect serious, thoughtful, principled people to office who will enact policies that help all people to thrive. This applies to local, state, and national offices.

Vote for Democracy in 2024!