Mail-In Ballots: To Postmark or Not to Postmark…

(Chuck Muth) – The Republican National Committee (RNC) has filed a lawsuit against the Nevada Secretary of State’s office over its announcement that it intends to accept mail-in ballots up to three days after Election Day even if they don’t have a postmark.

From a Nevada Independent report on the lawsuit…

“State law requires all mail ballots to be postmarked by Election Day in order to be counted, but allows for mail ballots that have a postmark with a date that ‘cannot be determined’ and received within the three days following Election Day to be counted.

“The suit alleges that the state is too broadly interpreting this law by also counting received mail ballots that are not postmarked at all. … The suit requests that a judge order the state to not count any ballots that lack a postmark received after Election Day.”

The lawsuit raised some questions and concerns about postmarking from Muth’s Truths readers.

Some people didn’t think any of the returned envelopes were postmarked since they’re mailed in bulk and bulk mail usually doesn’t get postmarked.  Other confusion was caused by reports that some ballots are postmarked while others are not.

So what’s the deal?  Inquiring minds wanna know.

Dan Burdish – our crack data analyst for the Pigpen Project to clean up the voter rolls – looked into this and found an explanation – though it’s a separate issue from the lawsuit itself about accepting non-postmarked ballots after Election Day.

From the United States Postal Service (USPS) on “Postmarking Guidelines” …

“Each state establishes by law the rules and requirements for ballot submission, including ballot-submission deadlines and the role, if any, that postmarks play in determining whether a ballot was timely.

“In the normal course of operations, the Postal Service does not postmark, or ‘cancel’ every piece of mail in the system. The primary purpose of cancellation is to ensure that postage cannot be reused, and some categories of postage are precancelled before they enter the mailstream.

“In recognition of the importance that the election laws in some states place on postmarks, it has been the longstanding policy of the Postal Service to try to ensure that every return ballot mailed by voters receives a postmark, whether the return ballot is mailed with postage pre-paid by election officials or with a stamp affixed by the voter.

“A voter can ensure that a postmark is applied to his or her return ballot by visiting a Postal Service retail office and requesting a postmark from a retail associate when dropping off the ballot.”

So the post office will “try” to ensure that every returned mail-in ballot is postmarked but acknowledges that some might not be.  And it places the burden on the voter to go into a post office to assure their ballot is postmarked before the deadline.

This is such a bad system.

There’s no guarantee your ballot won’t be lost in the mail.  There’s no guarantee your ballot won’t be stolen right out of your mailbox.  And there’s no guarantee that your ballot will be postmarked unless you physically go into a post office and request it.

As Christian Adams of the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) put it long ago…

“Vote by mail is the worst way to run an election.  It leads to chaos and even disenfranchisement. Often ballots, never reach the intended voter, or are lost by the United States Postal Service. We don’t want the post office running our elections.”

Fact Check: TRUE

To avoid any problems, it’s always best to vote in person, either early or on Election Day.  Second best method is to fill out your mail-in ballot and then drop it off personally into an official “drop box” at an election center.

Republicans are trying to catch up with the Democrats on “ballot harvesting” by having volunteers pick up your ballot and delivering it for you.  Only do this if you have 100% confidence in the person you’re giving your ballot to.

If you want to mail your ballot and be sure it’s received on time and counted without going into a post office, then mail it early enough that it will be received BEFORE Election Day.

Lastly, if you want to check to see if your returned mail-in ballot has been received by the election department, go to: https://nevada.ballottrax.net/voter/

You’ll need to enter your first name, last name, date-of-birth, and zip code.

Note from the website…

“It may take up to 24 hours to receive, process, and update information available on this website. If you think there is an error in the information available on this site, contact your local election office for more information.”

Hope this helps!

Conservative Awards Dinner Photos

Photos from the 2024 Conservative Awards Dinner at the Italian American Club last month have now been posted – including photos of the award recipients with their awards.

Click here

The photos look a little blurry on the webpage, but when you click on each individual photo, you’ll get a good, clear image.  Like this one with me, Sherry Rickard, and retired Family Court Judge Diane Steel…

I really need to learn how to loosen up a bit!

Laughter is Still the Best Medicine

A local bar was so sure that its bartender was the strongest man around, that they offered a standing $1,000 bet.  The bartender would squeeze a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, and hand the lemon to a patron.  Anyone who could squeeze one more drop of juice out would win the money.

Many people had tried over time. Weightlifters, extreme athletes, etc. But nobody could do it.  One day a scrawny little man came in, wearing thick glasses and a cheap suit, and said in a tiny, squeaky voice, “I’d like to try the bet.”

After the hysterical laughter subsided, the bartender said “Okay,” grabbed a fresh lemon, and squeezed away.  Then he handed the wrinkled remains of the rind to the little man.

But the crowd’s laughter turned to total silence as the man clenched his fist around the lemon and six drops fell into the glass.  As the crowd cheered, the bartender paid the $1,000, and asked the little man, “What do you do for a living? Are you a lumberjack, a weightlifter, or what?”

The man replied, “I work for the IRS.”

H/T: #614clinton 

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

“The Biden crime wave has spread to Nevada. Unlike my GOP primary opponent, I’ve strapped on a gun, pinned on a badge, and confronted criminals face-to-face during my 22 years in law enforcement. I promise to fight in Carson City to restore safety and make crime illegal again.” – Republican Assembly District 21 candidate April Arndt

Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, publisher of Nevada News & Views, and founder of CampaignDoctor.com.  You can sign up for his conservative, Nevada-focused e-newsletter at MuthsTruths.com.  His views are his own.