[Strategerist]

I inquired a couple of election cycles back and was told that they are not counted until after election day ballots are counted and then only if the difference between the candidates is less than the total number of AB’s

This is completely and utterly false - an urban legend, the source of which I can't ascertain, but I can't believe how prevelent it is.

To my knowledge there is nowhere in the country where absentee ballots are not counted.

[pgkdan]

yeah, sure. Whatever you say.

[bigbob]

Is this “scientific” enough for you?

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/10/19/votes-by-mail-are-less-likely-to-be-counted/

According to research conducted by MIT and Cal Tech (who ought to know a thing or two about math) 21 percent of requested absentee ballots were never counted in 2008—35.5 million requests for absentee ballots led to 27.9 million mail-in ballots being counted.

[gdani]

This is completely and utterly false - an urban legend, the source of which I can't ascertain, but I can't believe how prevelent it is.

To my knowledge there is nowhere in the country where absentee ballots are not counted.

People have been saying the same about provisional ballots the past few elections.

The reason absentee & provisional ballots do not get counted is if there is an error, etc on the ballot. Otherwise, they get counted.