Absentee Voting

[Pastor Larry]

Someone help me out here. How is absentee voting constitutional? If the constitution prescribes voting on a particular day (1st Tuesday in November, isn't it?) how can you vote on any other day?

 

[ASLANSPAL]

Absentee voting is great ...more ..more...more.

I would like to see a law passed that Presidential elections must have at least 60% percent of the electorate vote ..if not we do it all over again. Early voting would help attain that goal.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ABSENTEE BALLOTS​

Information for candidates, party and campaign workers​

The absentee ballot is an important way that registered voters may cast their vote if they are unable to appear at the polling place on the day of a primary, election or referendum due to one or more of the following reasons: 1) active service in the U.S. armed forces; 2) absence from town during all the hours of voting; 3) illness; 4) physical disability; 5) his or her religion forbids secular activity on that day; 6) his or her required performance of duties as a primary, referendum, or election official at a polling place other than his or her own during all the hours on that day .


Sounds fair to me...lets increase it! make it more user friendly and easier..more power to the people and their right to vote...yeah thats right..the right to vote.​

 

[saturneptune]

Someone help me out here. How is absentee voting constitutional? If the constitution prescribes voting on a particular day (1st Tuesday in November, isn't it?) how can you vote on any other day?

Do you have a better way for those overseas?

 

[Daisy]

Someone help me out here. How is absentee voting constitutional? If the constitution prescribes voting on a particular day (1st Tuesday in November, isn't it?) how can you vote on any other day?

It's not as though one particular day as magical properties. It's largely arbitrary.

Many people can't go to the polls on a given day - work, surgery, etc. Should they be disenfranchised because circumstances may disallow them from being home on that day?

I assume you would make some provision for overseas military personnel to vote in their local elections, so why not other people?

It matters less when the vote is cast as when it is counted. Of course, they very often are not counted unless outcome could be changed by the uncounted votes.

 

[JamieinNH]

How would the military vote if not for the absentee voting?

 

[Filmproducer]

Someone help me out here. How is absentee voting constitutional? If the constitution prescribes voting on a particular day (1st Tuesday in November, isn't it?) how can you vote on any other day?

Actually the constitution does not prescribe voting on any particular day. The constitution does however say multiple times "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state..." The 15th is on account of race, color, or previous condition of slavery. The 19th is account of gender. The 24th says that the right to vote shall not be denied or abridge in any election for failure to pay taxes, and the 26th on account of age for those 18 and older. Do we really need another amendment that does not deny the right to vote due to other mitigating circumstances? I hardly think we need to go back to the dark ages where everyone had to travel just to cast a vote.

 

[Pastor Larry]

First, I was not offering a solution, nor really complaining. I think absentee voting is filled with fraud and potential for fraud, so I think we need to address it. I offered solutions to this in my previous post about voting reform.

But here I was merely asking a question. Does the Constitution specify the first Tuesday in November as election day? I am going from memory here, so help me out. If not specified in the Constitution, how did it come to be?

 

[Filmproducer]

First, I was not offering a solution, nor really complaining. I think absentee voting is filled with fraud and potential for fraud, so I think we need to address it. I offered solutions to this in my previous post about voting reform.

But here I was merely asking a question. Does the Constitution specify the first Tuesday in November as election day? I am going from memory here, so help me out. If not specified in the Constitution, how did it come to be?

Your right there is potential for fraud. Not really sure what to do to combat the potential problem, though. To tell the truth I haven't really thought about it.

As for the constitution, the only stipulation is that the Electoral College electors be chosen on the same day throughout the US (Article II se. 1). In 1792 Congress passed a law stipulating that Presidential elecctions be held in November. The first Tuesday in November came about in 1845 and Congressional elections were added in 1872 under the Apportionment Act. Tuesday was most likely chosen because people had to travel to the polls and Sunday was for church and Monday people would travel. Also I think Nov. 1 is All Saints Day for Catholics so that might have played a factor in the decision, as well as the fact the Congress met in December and adjourned in March so an early November election would allow time to count votes.

 

[billwald]

First, the votes are only counted after the poles close.

Second, we are governed by case law, not the constitution. Sort of like Jesus ruling in the place of God. <G>