Posted on 03/26/2020 1:57:20 PM PDT by buckalfa
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Secretary of State Mac Warner announced on Thursday that he has issued guidance and a funding opportunity to assist county clerks with mailing an absentee ballot application to every registered voter in West Virginia, according to a press release.
In the release, the Secretary of State’s Office said that returning the absentee ballot application is the first step to receiving the official ballot via mail. During the State of Emergency that has been issued as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, every registered voter in the state is eligible to vote an absentee-by-mail ballot in the May 12 Primary Election, according to the release.
The release detailed the three simple steps that are required for voting an absentee-by-mail ballot, which are:
The voter submits an absentee ballot application to their county clerk.
Once approved, the county clerk will mail a postage prepaid absentee ballot with instructions and materials to the voter.
The voter marks the absentee ballot according to the instructions and places it in the mail to be postmarked by Election Day, May 12, 2020.
The release stated that the goal of this uniform, statewide mailing is to ensure every eligible voter has an opportunity to vote while protecting the health of voters, county clerks’ staff members, election workers and the general population during the coronavirus pandemic, while also maximizing participation in the Primary Election. Secretary Warner’s Office will reimburse the cost of the mailings to county clerks in an expedited fashion to reduce the increased financial burden on county budgets, according to the release.
“The Governor, Attorney General, county clerks and I have zealously worked together within state law to balance health concerns with the ease of voting,” Warner said. “We have determined that the absentee voting process is the safest method. By sending an absentee application to all registered voters, it encourages voters to participate in the election in the safest manner possible without having to leave their house. Your ballot box is as close as your mailbox.”
Warner said that voters can expect to receive an absentee ballot application sometime during the week of April 6. Voters who have already requested or submitted an absentee application to their county clerk will be excluded from the mailing to prevent confusion and duplication, according to the release. However, the release also stated that there may be an overlap in requests and mailings by clerks due to natural postal delays, so any voter who receives more than one absentee application may disregard additional application mailings.
The release detailed some important deadlines that apply to the absentee ballot application and voting process, which are different than in-person voting. Those deadlines are:
Absentee ballot applications must be received by the county clerk on, or before, May 6, 2020.
Absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, May 12, 2020.
Additionally, the release urged voters to remember the following key dates:
Last day to register for the Primary Election – April 21 Early in-person voting – April 29 to May 9 Election Day – May 12
Secretary Warner and county clerks are recommending that voters return their applications as soon as possible, as this will help county clerks and their staff process the applications and place absentee ballots in the mail in a timely manner. The release stated that when voters receive their absentee ballot, it is also recommended that they return the ballot in a reasonable time to help facilitate the administration of the election and speed up the tabulation process after the election.
Statistics show absentee has an 80 percent return rate. Even republicans like it.
I hate absentee ballotting.
The paper ballots are hard to count.
The scanners used are feeble, they only take ten at a time, and any bad ballot causes the batch to be rejected.
Florida we don’t even get a print out receipt. We have to live with faith it works. That’s why absentee is huge here. I still go to the polls on Election Day. It just feels right.
Democrat ballot harvesting coming now. Republicans will not be winning many elections anymore in the Mountain State.
Well, they’re stupid, because mail-in ballots give plenty of opportunity for election fraud.
Yeah. True. But the only thing I’d change is the absentee has to arrive the day before the election. Any after that it’s void. That’s where the fraud is when everyone stops paying attention.
While this move does cause some concern, especially for future elections, this case involves the primary election. I can’t foresee it causing much damage. This could change though if this process is proclaimed a huge success and is pushed to be the way to proceed in future elections.
It will be proclaimed a huge success no matter the reality.
It will pushed hard for the general election with the usual name calling to intimidate those opposed.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.