As a voter in Washington State, an all vote by mail state, I used a Washington State phone app to track my ballot after I placed in a drop box. It informed me when my ballot was picked up and after my signature was verified. I'd recommend that procedure for everyone.
Thank you Ellen, It is good to know Washington has a system too. In California, votes are counted as they come in so I not only know my ballot has been received but it has already been counted, the tally will be kept secret until November 5. From now until every last fascist has been stopped in the United States protecting our elections from mob rule must be first and foremost, then second must be nullifying the electoral college.
Abolishing the Electoral College would require a constitutional amendment, which would require three-fourths of the states (38 of 50) to approve it. So all it takes is 13 states to block an amendment (whether by voting it down or just not voting on it at all), and there are almost certainly at least 13 Trumpy states that would do so.
But there is a movement to implement a mechanism allowing the national popular vote to get around the fundamentally anti-democratic character of the Electoral College. This movement takes advantage of the constitutional provision that allows states to enter into binding agreements with one another, agreements known as interstate compacts.
In the United States Constitution, Article I, § 10, clause 3 (known as the Compact Clause) states: "No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, . . . enter into any Agreement or Compact with another state, or with a foreign Power . . . ." <https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S10-C3-3-1/ALDE_00013531/>. Put another way, if two or more states want to enter into an agreement, they can do so with the approval of Congress. The U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted the requirement of congressional approval to apply only to agreements that undermine federal sovereignty.
The National Center for Interstate Compacts maintains a database of interstate compacts, currently totaling 270 <https://compacts.csg.org/database/>. (Ballotpedia also has a chart of compacts formed between 1785 and 2014 <https://ballotpedia.org/Chart_of_interstate_compacts>.) The National Center database includes a compact intended to overcome a fundamental flaw in elections for President of the United States: the Electoral College, which allows a candidate to become President despite losing the popular vote by margins in the millions. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact <https://compacts.csg.org/compact/national-popular-vote-interstate-compact/>, sponsored and promoted by National Popular Vote <https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/>, "would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia." The compact would take effect "when enacted by states with a majority of the electoral votes (270 of 538)." The states that enact the compact agree that the electors in those states will vote for the candidate who wins the national popular vote. Currently, 17 states and the District of Columbia, with a combined total of 209 electoral votes, have enacted legislation to join the compact. National Popular Vote offers a free downloadable publication, titled "Every Vote Equal," that explains the compact in detail <https://www.every-vote-equal.com/sites/default/files/everyvoteequal-4th-ed-2013-02-21.pdf>.
The National Popular Vote Compact would result in every voter's ballot carrying equal weight, unlike under the Electoral College system. The compact would also end the tyranny of elections focusing on a handful of so-called battleground states, also a consequence of the Electoral College system. Under the compact, because every vote counts equally, every state would become a battleground state, regardless of whether it's blue, red, or purple, which in turn means that every voter becomes a battleground voter -- a voter over whom the candidates will battle. And because this compact would not impinge on federal sovereignty, it would, presumably, not require Congress to approve it.
If you want your vote for President to count as much as every other vote, and if you live in a state that allows citizen initiatives but has not yet joined the compact, consider starting an initiative. Help correct a fundamental and anti-democracy flaw in the way we elect the President of the United States.
Smart person, CGW, that's exactly why I said nullify, not change the Constitution which can only be done by an amendment. Even before trumpism, an amendment to repeal the electoral college would never pass. After all how many small States would be willing to give up their power. But I believe we are within 17 points of passing that compact to unify to void the electoral college. The electoral college was placed in the Constitution to advert the "tyranny of the majority". But in recent times it is the "tyranny of the minority" which is harming our democracy - a situation beyond the imagination of the framers.
The word you want might be "neutralize." "Nullify" is generally used to mean "make legally null and void." In the case of the Electoral College, that requires a constitutional amendment. CGW's info about the National Popular Vote Compact is solid. The goal is to get to the point where participating states have a combined electoral vote count of more than 270 (hopefully a good deal more than 270!). However, I believe that some states who signed on want to withdraw from it. Whether they can do this is open to question. Whatever, the whole notion of "swing states" is deeply harmful to our democracy and thoroughly undermines the principle of "one person, one vote."
Originally, the presidential election was to be decided by districts. States voted to go to “winner take all” in their states, which could essentially disenfranchise some voters.
I succumb to neutralize, it would be a better choice than nullify. However, the work around National Popular Vote Compact will do the job, where an amendment would fail.
I am VERY interested in this in KY. It’s so sad to hear people say and to really know that my vote doesn’t count in KY. If we had this in place my vote would count. How would I go about getting started?
Well, your vote helped elect Andy Beshear, and that's something pretty big! CGW gives good counsel. If there's an active League of Women Voters chapter in your area, they might also be helpful.
Thank you for your question. A few off-the-cuff thoughts . . . .
o Contact a local pro-democracy group to find out whether Kentucky has a citizen-based initiative process and, if so, ask how to go about implementing it
o Contact your state or local Democratic Party to find out whether it would be interested in an effort to have Kentucky join the compact
o Contact a respected Democratic state legislator you know (and or have heard of) and sound out that legislator about her or his interest in pushing for joining the compact or, as a less likely but still permissible alternative, in pushing to change state law to award the electors to the winner of the national popular vote rather than just the Kentucky popular vote (states have the authority to decide how to award electoral votes -- see, for example, Maine and Nebraska, both of which award the electors according to who won in each congressional district)
o Contact National Popular Vote <https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/>, which likely has information and suggestions about how to proceed in each state
Those are just starting points, any of which could led to more options. Also, contact friends who you think would be interested and willing to help you in your effort. I hope you (and they) can get this ball rolling in Kentucky.
I'm in Sacramento County - all of our drop boxes are now inside of safe places, such as libraries and other places that are locked up when closed for the day. They used to be out in front of stores and other places that were convenient, but accessible to someone who might want to mess with them. I'm really glad that we're in a place where we can vote by mail, drop-off, or in person. As a disable person, I like having options that are accessible and safe.
I did the same when I was living in Washington and I do it here in California! My ballot was received, accepted and counted. It's just so easy to sign up!
I just tried to use the info you thoughtfully provided. Unable to use it properly, I called our great Town Hall, and found out that it had been counted. 💐From a Massachusetts based voter, and avid democrat as most of us I’m assuming here are.💐
We dropped off our absentee ballots at the drop box at the township hall several weeks ago. This morning, after reading you comment, I checked my state's website. The site showed my husband's and my son's ballots had been checked in, but mine hadn't been. So I contacted my township clerk using Facebook messenger to see what the problems was. They responded immediately and checked it out. The ballot was received but some glitch happened between the township and the state's website. They reentered the info and now it's fixed.
I urge everyone who has mailed or dropped off a ballot to check that the ballot has been received, just for your own piece of mind.
Thanks for this column, Joyce. I hope these drop box attacks mean more people realize what's at stake and will vote.
Coming to terms with the embrace of authoritarianism and bigotry by 1/3-1/2 of the population is really hard. There will always be wannabe and actual tyrants like Trump, Putin, and many others. But I really struggle to understand why ordinary people like/admire/worship them.
The clingers to religion got their panties in a wad about what he said, but note he said "guns and religion"because to some they're the same thing, their god by force.
People of faith believe others have a right to choose, not be forced with a gun.
But sadly, they are. Freud had to come to terms with the breadth of the Nazi movement, and he formed a very pessimistic view on human aggression. They are not sick in ways to treat with a pill or therapy.
Laurie, In my view, many of us have difficulty internalizing how Trump’s politics of grievance cunningly, and I dare say effectively, links immigrants and Democrats and others to the economic pain and other problems that his supporters are experiencing. This stratagem includes reinforcing their worldview that they have been left behind, that they have been shut out of the political conversations by so-called elites, a cleverly contrived scheme, in my view, that not only is incredibly effective but that also is key to Trump’s staying power and the explanation, regardless of the election outcome, as to why Trumpism will continue beyond Trump.
Annie, Clearly, you’re right, and I would add they also believe, whether rightly or wrongly, they would be able to control Trump to ensure that their self-serving impulses were satisfied. That said, I would ask that you note that my comment was a reply to Laurie’s struggle over why “ordinary people like /admire /worship…tyrants like Trump.”
Daniel, While I’m aware the oligarchs have hitched their wagon to Trump, rightly or wrongly presuming they can control him and thus advance their personal self-serving impulses, I don’t regard the rest of the cult nearly as monolithic. Hence, why I wrote “economic pain and other problems [Trump]…supporters are experiencing,” Additionally, while I would grant racism is a key underlying factor, I would submit it’s not the sole factor.
Consider the irony of a SSI recipient who votes Republican. People who need SSA, Medicare, VA, etc. People on food stamps.
Still time to flip 2020 Trump voters. Please repeatedly post "not suckers or losers" comments in social media. According to Facebook, there are 4 million veterans and active duty members on Facebook, as well as 12.5 million family members and 242 million friends with veterans or active duty members. Military sites, veterans' organizations, historical sites. Vote vets has already flipped many 2016 and 2020 Trump voters. It's up to people like you who are on social media.... when you comment you'll see what I mean. Many of the people involved are dependents, family members, friends and neighbors who are interested in the military and or national security and for whom this is news. Takes repetition and substantiation by people they trust.
Daniel, While I subscribe to Substacks, I’m not on social media. Hence I pass on your posts to those who are, while I hone my phone banking and canvassing acumen.
Income inequality is a huge part of the problem here. The trumpers think he can fix for them what they cannot fix themselves. They are desperate and they see him as their saviour...he will of course be their further demise.
"Trump supporters" come in at least two varieties. There's the so-called "base," the MAGAts, the true believers. They are overwhelmingly white. They aren't wealthy, but in general they're not poor either. Then there's the much smaller group that has been using the GOP all along and is still supporting and bankrolling Trump. This group doesn't have nearly enough votes to win an election, so, at least since Nixon's "southern strategy," they've been courting white people who believe in white supremacy. After Roe v. Wade, they added conservative Christians -- Evangelicals and Catholics, again overwhelmingly white -- to the coalition. The "politics of grievance" does target elites, but it focuses primarily on people of color and "uppity" women.
Worship is the right word here. Check out “Building God’s Kingdom” by Julia Ingersoll. The MAGA core are doing what they are doing out of religious zeal. We, the world, must be ruled by Biblical Law as defined by them. Trump was chosen by God. Seriously.
All the drop boxes in my county are under 24-hour video surveillance. It is such a privilege to live in a state (Colorado) where voting is so safe and convenient. However, this year I won’t be using a drop box - I’m going to a polling place so I can personally thank election workers.
That’s what I did, and I live in a rural bright red area of a swing state. But I have no doubt that the election workers are straight up people who work hard at their jobs and at keeping voting fair for all.
I, too, prefer to vote in person, precisely for the same reason. I served as a poll worker for many years and know how much is involved. This year, however, I find myself moving to a different state and caught between the two on election day. Grateful for any option that allows me to vote!
The ballot box in Vancouver, WA, was situated in Clark Cty., a strongly Democratic area within a
large Congressional district that has been rather safely Republican until the then "moderate" Republican incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler lost to MAGA Joe Kent in the 2022 primaries...Kent went on to lose just barely in the general election to Marie Gleusenkamp Perez, a "blue-collar" Democrat.
Well, Kent and his MAGA allies are back again, and polling shows a very close race indeed.
One can only speculate that the perp suspected that the majority of ballots in that drop-box
were in fact Democratic voters, and acted accordingly.
This is the other side of "election interference"....not the squads of GOP lawyers filing suit after frivolous suit to gum up the process, or election boards refusing to certify, but targeted direct-action efforts to simply destroy ballots before they are even counted.
No messing about, get the FBI cracking on this case before copy-cats arm up and start torching drop-boxes all over the show!
It is interesting that the Republican Challenger Joe Kent to Congresswomen Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez of Washington’s Third Congressional District has in the past hired individual members of a local group affiliated with Former POTUS Donald Trump the so-called “Proud Boys” organization. The organization got its’ start in the Vancouver, Washington area and infiltrated the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area back in the last election cycle of 2020 and was instrumental in the Portland Riots caused by the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis, Minnesota in Spring of 2020. While Former POTUS Donald Trump was in office the last year of his term he would not condone the tactics used by the Proud Boys when they destroyed property always blaming the Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler for allowing this to happen to this beautiful city along with the
Antifa group . Past history shows the Proud Boys were an integral part of the J-6 Insurrection along with other hate groups emboldened by former President Donald Trump in trying to subvert the election of 2020 which POTUS Joe Biden & Vice President Kamala Harris won. For some reason, the Pacific Northwest States of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and parts of Northern California happen to be fertile breeding grounds for Extreme Far Right White Supremacy groups, Neo-Nazi groups, and Survivalist groups in our country going back to the 1920’s and the 1970’s due to the dominant white race in rural areas of these states. Furthermore, all former POTUS Donald Trump had to do in the last three successive election cycle since 2016 is tap into this demographic to create his base. The fact that Seattle, Spokane, Boise, and Portland are heavily Democratic urban cities helped Trump and his associates mobilize his base against highly educated Liberal residents who resided and worked in these metropolitan areas.
I keep trying to join Antiifa, but to no avail. I cannot figure out how. Apparently they don't actually exist, like all the fantasies in old Donnie's head.
Thank you for that history lesson; I’m from northern CA, close to Oregon, and am familiar with the groups you describe. I knew people who were relocating to Idaho “to be free”…a euphemism, indeed.
I am surprised that groups like the Proud Boys would have such a stronghold in heavily democratic areas. Maybe I just don't get it, but it seems to me like they would want to get their strongholds in areas where they would be supported.
Groups like that get most of their energy from being a minority; they see themselves as mistreated by the majority. They don't thrive where there is support. Social media allows them to get in contact with each other.
Previous to social media, groups like the Skinheads were nurtured by men who gathered mistreated boys from the streets. Those men saw themselves as saving boys who were discarded like they had been as boys.
I'd be interested to know whether you think Mr. Kemp's condemnation of this attack was genuine or just "for show." Repudiation of violent acts performed to their benefit does not fit the MAGAt playbook.
If it were Kemp’s election on the line, I would tend to disagree. He was clearly behind serious shenanigans in Georgia a few years back. Who’s to say where he would draw a line?
Republicans are afraid of the vote. They do everything in their power to suppress the vote. This doesn't surprise me at all. Trump and his goons threatened violence at his Nazi MSG rally so expect more of this.
""Only cowards attack elections" and Donald "Coward" tRump is the apex.........the Orange Depends claude sucky baby would applaud the burning of ballot boxes.
If they can catch this fellow and advertise him on TV before Nov 5th then maybe the message will finally get though: it is MAGA that wants to disqualify your vote, one way or another, not illegal aliens.
That said, I'm not going to admit to a shivering of doubt that only Democrats drive Volvos....
Trump is a schoolyard bully. His Daddy had to bail him our of one tough thing or another, certainly including the draft and early bankruptcies. Yet somehow,Mike Johnson has cast aside his bible and sworn allegiance to our once and hopefully-not-again future king and taken up the bad habit of lying. Repeatedly. It's pitiful all around and should be galling to the Johnson family. I guess the whiff of power and its proximity have over-come his supposed decency, honesty, and convictions.
Joyce underlines the obvious: "As in so many things where there used to be bipartisan agreement about how we conducted our elections, Trump has split us apart. Only cowards attack elections. True public servants, leaders, run in them based on their ideas, their policies, and their personal appeal. Hoodlums resort to attacks against mail-in and drop-off voting"
I live in Portland and was up in the middle of the night so I saw that breaking news. What does it say that ballot drop boxes have to have fire suppressant systems in the first place. I usually use drop boxes because they are collected quickly but I’m using the USPS this year, although apparently it was a mailbox in Arizona that was targeted recently.
And apparently nobody tested the fire suppressant. Frustrating. Every year some loono tosses a firecracker into a dropbox somewhere in the US. I'm confused why this time it caught fire.
In Portland the fires suppressant systems largely works, with only 3 ballots damaged. In Clark County Washington it didn’t work, which is where hundreds of ballots were lost.
I don’t trust the dropbox and I certainly don’t trust Louis Dejoys Postal Service, so I now take my ballot directly to my County election office. Yep, it’s out-of-the-way, but worth it. 🤞 President Biden gets rid of de Joy as one of his last acts of being president.
Patti, it requires the postal board to get rid of DeJoy; it's not something Biden can just do. Where I am the postal service has really good people who do a good job, and I trust our letter carrier to pick up our ballots and take care of them appropriately.
I understand that the postal board is the one that makes the final decision. I just can’t help but imagine that the President of the United States doesn’t have some sort of sway. I could be wrong; I certainly have been before. I am also on what is called an overburdened route south of Portland, Oregon because of the cuts that have been made by Louis DeJoy. My entire little cul-de-sac will go days without getting mail. I don’t blame the postal carriers at all; they’re the biggest victims of all besides we recipients of our mail (or lack thereof).
I am sorry you have to put up with that, Patti. For what it's worth, the only sway I know the President has is in appointing board members, and I think those have to be approved by congress. I am lucky to live in an area where I haven't noticed any postal problems, other than a cutback in how often they empty those blue mailboxes, but I, too, can hardly wait to see DeJoy removed from office.
Sioux, we let our letter carrier pick up our ballots when we mail them, so we are able to avoid the mailbox issue. I don't know how Portland letter carriers are, even though my sister lives there, but here in El Paso, they are good people.
Broke my heart when I read about the drop box vandalism. Reminded me of how I felt this year when a local city councilor wanted to ban books in our wonderful library. The citizens of Seaside Oregon recalled him, sending a clear message we don't want that here. I don't want voter suppression to tarnish our long standing successful elections in Oregon. We're spoiled here with by-mail voting and professional election staffing. Now you got grandma mad.
That is literally my ballot drop box in PDX. I would like my beautiful city to be in the news for something that doesn’t make me incandescent with rage. But I will not be deterred. I’m still voting. And vote by mail rocks.
As a certified election observer in King county, WA, I appreciate your drawing attention to this issue. This election is the first time in years that I have been concerned for my safety. However, King County Elections is top notch and they care about the safety of the ballots and the people.
To that end, our coordinator sent out a message today letting us know that all 84 boxes will have private unarmed security present on election night. Some boxes will have flaggers and traffic control officers as well. We're also asked to please occasionally swing by our neighborhood ballot box and check to see if it is unharmed or if it's full and needing a pickup.
It is rare that anyone tries to bother election workers at the ballot box and the location where ballots are actually processed is reasonably safe. I hope that this isn't the election that changes that.
I’m glad I live in a state where they can count mail-ins as soon as they’re received (CA). I doubt this will be the last disreputable maneuver we see this cycle. I have numerous friends who are voting absentee/mail-in this year for the first time - they don’t want to be anywhere near a polling place on election day. Voting used to be so easy, even friendly. I do agree that voting should be a national holiday.
After all the scummy displays of deep disrespect vocalized at Madison Square Garden - the race baiting, the threats, the lies, the denigration, the just rude, crude, and socially unacceptable “hits”.
I have to admit to a few giggles - like Vivek Ramaswami talking about removing
immigrants. This country was built by immigrants. He looks like an immigrant.
Political commentators have been eagerly awaiting this elections "October Surprise".
I think we may have just had it.
The Dumps hate filled rally in the Garden, may have finally opened the eyes of those Palestinian, Hispanic and Black voters who - so newspapers have been telling us - have been thinking about "holding their noses and voting for Trump".
These voters hold the margin of victory in the swing states.
As a voter in Washington State, an all vote by mail state, I used a Washington State phone app to track my ballot after I placed in a drop box. It informed me when my ballot was picked up and after my signature was verified. I'd recommend that procedure for everyone.
vote.org/ballot-tracker-tools has links for every state.
Thank you Ellen, It is good to know Washington has a system too. In California, votes are counted as they come in so I not only know my ballot has been received but it has already been counted, the tally will be kept secret until November 5. From now until every last fascist has been stopped in the United States protecting our elections from mob rule must be first and foremost, then second must be nullifying the electoral college.
Abolishing the Electoral College would require a constitutional amendment, which would require three-fourths of the states (38 of 50) to approve it. So all it takes is 13 states to block an amendment (whether by voting it down or just not voting on it at all), and there are almost certainly at least 13 Trumpy states that would do so.
But there is a movement to implement a mechanism allowing the national popular vote to get around the fundamentally anti-democratic character of the Electoral College. This movement takes advantage of the constitutional provision that allows states to enter into binding agreements with one another, agreements known as interstate compacts.
In the United States Constitution, Article I, § 10, clause 3 (known as the Compact Clause) states: "No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, . . . enter into any Agreement or Compact with another state, or with a foreign Power . . . ." <https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S10-C3-3-1/ALDE_00013531/>. Put another way, if two or more states want to enter into an agreement, they can do so with the approval of Congress. The U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted the requirement of congressional approval to apply only to agreements that undermine federal sovereignty.
The National Center for Interstate Compacts maintains a database of interstate compacts, currently totaling 270 <https://compacts.csg.org/database/>. (Ballotpedia also has a chart of compacts formed between 1785 and 2014 <https://ballotpedia.org/Chart_of_interstate_compacts>.) The National Center database includes a compact intended to overcome a fundamental flaw in elections for President of the United States: the Electoral College, which allows a candidate to become President despite losing the popular vote by margins in the millions. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact <https://compacts.csg.org/compact/national-popular-vote-interstate-compact/>, sponsored and promoted by National Popular Vote <https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/>, "would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia." The compact would take effect "when enacted by states with a majority of the electoral votes (270 of 538)." The states that enact the compact agree that the electors in those states will vote for the candidate who wins the national popular vote. Currently, 17 states and the District of Columbia, with a combined total of 209 electoral votes, have enacted legislation to join the compact. National Popular Vote offers a free downloadable publication, titled "Every Vote Equal," that explains the compact in detail <https://www.every-vote-equal.com/sites/default/files/everyvoteequal-4th-ed-2013-02-21.pdf>.
The National Popular Vote Compact would result in every voter's ballot carrying equal weight, unlike under the Electoral College system. The compact would also end the tyranny of elections focusing on a handful of so-called battleground states, also a consequence of the Electoral College system. Under the compact, because every vote counts equally, every state would become a battleground state, regardless of whether it's blue, red, or purple, which in turn means that every voter becomes a battleground voter -- a voter over whom the candidates will battle. And because this compact would not impinge on federal sovereignty, it would, presumably, not require Congress to approve it.
If you want your vote for President to count as much as every other vote, and if you live in a state that allows citizen initiatives but has not yet joined the compact, consider starting an initiative. Help correct a fundamental and anti-democracy flaw in the way we elect the President of the United States.
Smart person, CGW, that's exactly why I said nullify, not change the Constitution which can only be done by an amendment. Even before trumpism, an amendment to repeal the electoral college would never pass. After all how many small States would be willing to give up their power. But I believe we are within 17 points of passing that compact to unify to void the electoral college. The electoral college was placed in the Constitution to advert the "tyranny of the majority". But in recent times it is the "tyranny of the minority" which is harming our democracy - a situation beyond the imagination of the framers.
The word you want might be "neutralize." "Nullify" is generally used to mean "make legally null and void." In the case of the Electoral College, that requires a constitutional amendment. CGW's info about the National Popular Vote Compact is solid. The goal is to get to the point where participating states have a combined electoral vote count of more than 270 (hopefully a good deal more than 270!). However, I believe that some states who signed on want to withdraw from it. Whether they can do this is open to question. Whatever, the whole notion of "swing states" is deeply harmful to our democracy and thoroughly undermines the principle of "one person, one vote."
Originally, the presidential election was to be decided by districts. States voted to go to “winner take all” in their states, which could essentially disenfranchise some voters.
Aha, didn't know that. When did that happen? Did it happen state by state?
I succumb to neutralize, it would be a better choice than nullify. However, the work around National Popular Vote Compact will do the job, where an amendment would fail.
I've got my fingers crossed that it'll work!
ONE Citizen (not corporations) ONE VOTE. Period.
I am VERY interested in this in KY. It’s so sad to hear people say and to really know that my vote doesn’t count in KY. If we had this in place my vote would count. How would I go about getting started?
Well, your vote helped elect Andy Beshear, and that's something pretty big! CGW gives good counsel. If there's an active League of Women Voters chapter in your area, they might also be helpful.
Thank you for your question. A few off-the-cuff thoughts . . . .
o Contact a local pro-democracy group to find out whether Kentucky has a citizen-based initiative process and, if so, ask how to go about implementing it
o Contact your state or local Democratic Party to find out whether it would be interested in an effort to have Kentucky join the compact
o Contact a respected Democratic state legislator you know (and or have heard of) and sound out that legislator about her or his interest in pushing for joining the compact or, as a less likely but still permissible alternative, in pushing to change state law to award the electors to the winner of the national popular vote rather than just the Kentucky popular vote (states have the authority to decide how to award electoral votes -- see, for example, Maine and Nebraska, both of which award the electors according to who won in each congressional district)
o Contact National Popular Vote <https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/>, which likely has information and suggestions about how to proceed in each state
Those are just starting points, any of which could led to more options. Also, contact friends who you think would be interested and willing to help you in your effort. I hope you (and they) can get this ball rolling in Kentucky.
Thank you with all my heart CGW…
Thank you for the link to check whether a ballot has been received. Mine was and it's a relief.
If you are registered in Washington state, you can also track your ballot (and find lots of other info) at voter.votewa.gov.
I live in Washington State and tracked my ballot and it was accepted. I used voter.votewa.gov.
Me, too. And was I ever relieved to get that message!
Same in California; LA County.
I'm in Sacramento County - all of our drop boxes are now inside of safe places, such as libraries and other places that are locked up when closed for the day. They used to be out in front of stores and other places that were convenient, but accessible to someone who might want to mess with them. I'm really glad that we're in a place where we can vote by mail, drop-off, or in person. As a disable person, I like having options that are accessible and safe.
I did the same when I was living in Washington and I do it here in California! My ballot was received, accepted and counted. It's just so easy to sign up!
In Colorado we also use votetrax, which tells you when your ballot was picked up and when it has been counted.
Interesting that as usual the backward states which send republicans to congress are also the backward states who don't vote by mail.
Like Fay and others, thank you Ellen.
I just tried to use the info you thoughtfully provided. Unable to use it properly, I called our great Town Hall, and found out that it had been counted. 💐From a Massachusetts based voter, and avid democrat as most of us I’m assuming here are.💐
Thank you so much for the link!
We dropped off our absentee ballots at the drop box at the township hall several weeks ago. This morning, after reading you comment, I checked my state's website. The site showed my husband's and my son's ballots had been checked in, but mine hadn't been. So I contacted my township clerk using Facebook messenger to see what the problems was. They responded immediately and checked it out. The ballot was received but some glitch happened between the township and the state's website. They reentered the info and now it's fixed.
I urge everyone who has mailed or dropped off a ballot to check that the ballot has been received, just for your own piece of mind.
Thanks for this column, Joyce. I hope these drop box attacks mean more people realize what's at stake and will vote.
Coming to terms with the embrace of authoritarianism and bigotry by 1/3-1/2 of the population is really hard. There will always be wannabe and actual tyrants like Trump, Putin, and many others. But I really struggle to understand why ordinary people like/admire/worship them.
Probably because they are not “ordinary” people. Freud would have a field day 🧐
They're the "deplorables" that Hillary talked about! She was spot on.
Obama was right also when he described them as "clinging to guns and religion"
Guns, religion -- and race.
I keep thinking the same thing.
The clingers to religion got their panties in a wad about what he said, but note he said "guns and religion"because to some they're the same thing, their god by force.
People of faith believe others have a right to choose, not be forced with a gun.
But sadly, they are. Freud had to come to terms with the breadth of the Nazi movement, and he formed a very pessimistic view on human aggression. They are not sick in ways to treat with a pill or therapy.
Laurie, In my view, many of us have difficulty internalizing how Trump’s politics of grievance cunningly, and I dare say effectively, links immigrants and Democrats and others to the economic pain and other problems that his supporters are experiencing. This stratagem includes reinforcing their worldview that they have been left behind, that they have been shut out of the political conversations by so-called elites, a cleverly contrived scheme, in my view, that not only is incredibly effective but that also is key to Trump’s staying power and the explanation, regardless of the election outcome, as to why Trumpism will continue beyond Trump.
A lot of Trump supporters have no economic problems whatsoever. They are wealthy and greedy.
Annie, Clearly, you’re right, and I would add they also believe, whether rightly or wrongly, they would be able to control Trump to ensure that their self-serving impulses were satisfied. That said, I would ask that you note that my comment was a reply to Laurie’s struggle over why “ordinary people like /admire /worship…tyrants like Trump.”
They also believe that their wealth entitles them to rule. That "economic racism" privilege is what binds them to the trump
@Barara Jo: In the cult "economics" is a pretext for racism.
At the end of the day, we're number 1. Best economy, least inflation.
In their guts, even the oligarchs know Trump is nuts.
Daniel, While I’m aware the oligarchs have hitched their wagon to Trump, rightly or wrongly presuming they can control him and thus advance their personal self-serving impulses, I don’t regard the rest of the cult nearly as monolithic. Hence, why I wrote “economic pain and other problems [Trump]…supporters are experiencing,” Additionally, while I would grant racism is a key underlying factor, I would submit it’s not the sole factor.
The rabble vote AGAINST their own economic and physical health. Stats show at least 90%.
That's how we are able to flip some of them. https://rvat.org/
Consider the irony of a SSI recipient who votes Republican. People who need SSA, Medicare, VA, etc. People on food stamps.
Still time to flip 2020 Trump voters. Please repeatedly post "not suckers or losers" comments in social media. According to Facebook, there are 4 million veterans and active duty members on Facebook, as well as 12.5 million family members and 242 million friends with veterans or active duty members. Military sites, veterans' organizations, historical sites. Vote vets has already flipped many 2016 and 2020 Trump voters. It's up to people like you who are on social media.... when you comment you'll see what I mean. Many of the people involved are dependents, family members, friends and neighbors who are interested in the military and or national security and for whom this is news. Takes repetition and substantiation by people they trust.
Daniel, While I subscribe to Substacks, I’m not on social media. Hence I pass on your posts to those who are, while I hone my phone banking and canvassing acumen.
And then the troops that don't seem troubled at all by trump's insults. They simply don't believe he really means what he says. Isn't that lying?
When you engage them, you can tell them how Trump empowered the Taliban.
Income inequality is a huge part of the problem here. The trumpers think he can fix for them what they cannot fix themselves. They are desperate and they see him as their saviour...he will of course be their further demise.
"Trump supporters" come in at least two varieties. There's the so-called "base," the MAGAts, the true believers. They are overwhelmingly white. They aren't wealthy, but in general they're not poor either. Then there's the much smaller group that has been using the GOP all along and is still supporting and bankrolling Trump. This group doesn't have nearly enough votes to win an election, so, at least since Nixon's "southern strategy," they've been courting white people who believe in white supremacy. After Roe v. Wade, they added conservative Christians -- Evangelicals and Catholics, again overwhelmingly white -- to the coalition. The "politics of grievance" does target elites, but it focuses primarily on people of color and "uppity" women.
Worship is the right word here. Check out “Building God’s Kingdom” by Julia Ingersoll. The MAGA core are doing what they are doing out of religious zeal. We, the world, must be ruled by Biblical Law as defined by them. Trump was chosen by God. Seriously.
They're batshit
All the drop boxes in my county are under 24-hour video surveillance. It is such a privilege to live in a state (Colorado) where voting is so safe and convenient. However, this year I won’t be using a drop box - I’m going to a polling place so I can personally thank election workers.
That’s what I did, and I live in a rural bright red area of a swing state. But I have no doubt that the election workers are straight up people who work hard at their jobs and at keeping voting fair for all.
Laurie, exactly my plan.
I, too, prefer to vote in person, precisely for the same reason. I served as a poll worker for many years and know how much is involved. This year, however, I find myself moving to a different state and caught between the two on election day. Grateful for any option that allows me to vote!
The ballot box in Vancouver, WA, was situated in Clark Cty., a strongly Democratic area within a
large Congressional district that has been rather safely Republican until the then "moderate" Republican incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler lost to MAGA Joe Kent in the 2022 primaries...Kent went on to lose just barely in the general election to Marie Gleusenkamp Perez, a "blue-collar" Democrat.
Well, Kent and his MAGA allies are back again, and polling shows a very close race indeed.
One can only speculate that the perp suspected that the majority of ballots in that drop-box
were in fact Democratic voters, and acted accordingly.
This is the other side of "election interference"....not the squads of GOP lawyers filing suit after frivolous suit to gum up the process, or election boards refusing to certify, but targeted direct-action efforts to simply destroy ballots before they are even counted.
No messing about, get the FBI cracking on this case before copy-cats arm up and start torching drop-boxes all over the show!
It is interesting that the Republican Challenger Joe Kent to Congresswomen Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez of Washington’s Third Congressional District has in the past hired individual members of a local group affiliated with Former POTUS Donald Trump the so-called “Proud Boys” organization. The organization got its’ start in the Vancouver, Washington area and infiltrated the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area back in the last election cycle of 2020 and was instrumental in the Portland Riots caused by the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis, Minnesota in Spring of 2020. While Former POTUS Donald Trump was in office the last year of his term he would not condone the tactics used by the Proud Boys when they destroyed property always blaming the Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler for allowing this to happen to this beautiful city along with the
Antifa group . Past history shows the Proud Boys were an integral part of the J-6 Insurrection along with other hate groups emboldened by former President Donald Trump in trying to subvert the election of 2020 which POTUS Joe Biden & Vice President Kamala Harris won. For some reason, the Pacific Northwest States of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and parts of Northern California happen to be fertile breeding grounds for Extreme Far Right White Supremacy groups, Neo-Nazi groups, and Survivalist groups in our country going back to the 1920’s and the 1970’s due to the dominant white race in rural areas of these states. Furthermore, all former POTUS Donald Trump had to do in the last three successive election cycle since 2016 is tap into this demographic to create his base. The fact that Seattle, Spokane, Boise, and Portland are heavily Democratic urban cities helped Trump and his associates mobilize his base against highly educated Liberal residents who resided and worked in these metropolitan areas.
I keep trying to join Antiifa, but to no avail. I cannot figure out how. Apparently they don't actually exist, like all the fantasies in old Donnie's head.
Thank you for that history lesson; I’m from northern CA, close to Oregon, and am familiar with the groups you describe. I knew people who were relocating to Idaho “to be free”…a euphemism, indeed.
I am surprised that groups like the Proud Boys would have such a stronghold in heavily democratic areas. Maybe I just don't get it, but it seems to me like they would want to get their strongholds in areas where they would be supported.
Groups like that get most of their energy from being a minority; they see themselves as mistreated by the majority. They don't thrive where there is support. Social media allows them to get in contact with each other.
Previous to social media, groups like the Skinheads were nurtured by men who gathered mistreated boys from the streets. Those men saw themselves as saving boys who were discarded like they had been as boys.
Thank you for explaining that. It never occurred to me that it was where they got their motivation.
Sad but true
I'd be interested to know whether you think Mr. Kemp's condemnation of this attack was genuine or just "for show." Repudiation of violent acts performed to their benefit does not fit the MAGAt playbook.
If you mean Brian Kemp of Georgia, I believe he would genuinely condemn and urge prosecution of of people who attempt to destroy ballots.
If it were Kemp’s election on the line, I would tend to disagree. He was clearly behind serious shenanigans in Georgia a few years back. Who’s to say where he would draw a line?
Republicans are afraid of the vote. They do everything in their power to suppress the vote. This doesn't surprise me at all. Trump and his goons threatened violence at his Nazi MSG rally so expect more of this.
""Only cowards attack elections" and Donald "Coward" tRump is the apex.........the Orange Depends claude sucky baby would applaud the burning of ballot boxes.
https://events.democrats.org/event/734570/
If they can catch this fellow and advertise him on TV before Nov 5th then maybe the message will finally get though: it is MAGA that wants to disqualify your vote, one way or another, not illegal aliens.
That said, I'm not going to admit to a shivering of doubt that only Democrats drive Volvos....
Totally! What is the penalty for arson and destroying ballots, interference in an election? 5 years? 10 years?
In the case of destroying ballots it should be treason.
Could be a person who is an anarchist and doesn’t vote at all.
If you want to buy a used car in Portland, there are plenty of Volvos on used car lots.
lol I considered that about the Volvo too, but the MAGAt that did it surely did it to throw them off!
Oh no!! Colbert just pointed out that he put on his turn signal before pulling up to the drop box.....
We need to be prepared for anything, and I'm sure the Biden administration and local law enforcement is on it. We may not see it, but it's happening.
I believe that, WJB.
Er.... well they didnt stop those ones.
Trump is a schoolyard bully. His Daddy had to bail him our of one tough thing or another, certainly including the draft and early bankruptcies. Yet somehow,Mike Johnson has cast aside his bible and sworn allegiance to our once and hopefully-not-again future king and taken up the bad habit of lying. Repeatedly. It's pitiful all around and should be galling to the Johnson family. I guess the whiff of power and its proximity have over-come his supposed decency, honesty, and convictions.
Joyce underlines the obvious: "As in so many things where there used to be bipartisan agreement about how we conducted our elections, Trump has split us apart. Only cowards attack elections. True public servants, leaders, run in them based on their ideas, their policies, and their personal appeal. Hoodlums resort to attacks against mail-in and drop-off voting"
I live in Portland and was up in the middle of the night so I saw that breaking news. What does it say that ballot drop boxes have to have fire suppressant systems in the first place. I usually use drop boxes because they are collected quickly but I’m using the USPS this year, although apparently it was a mailbox in Arizona that was targeted recently.
And apparently nobody tested the fire suppressant. Frustrating. Every year some loono tosses a firecracker into a dropbox somewhere in the US. I'm confused why this time it caught fire.
In Portland the fires suppressant systems largely works, with only 3 ballots damaged. In Clark County Washington it didn’t work, which is where hundreds of ballots were lost.
Edit to correct typo
I don’t trust the dropbox and I certainly don’t trust Louis Dejoys Postal Service, so I now take my ballot directly to my County election office. Yep, it’s out-of-the-way, but worth it. 🤞 President Biden gets rid of de Joy as one of his last acts of being president.
Patti, it requires the postal board to get rid of DeJoy; it's not something Biden can just do. Where I am the postal service has really good people who do a good job, and I trust our letter carrier to pick up our ballots and take care of them appropriately.
I understand that the postal board is the one that makes the final decision. I just can’t help but imagine that the President of the United States doesn’t have some sort of sway. I could be wrong; I certainly have been before. I am also on what is called an overburdened route south of Portland, Oregon because of the cuts that have been made by Louis DeJoy. My entire little cul-de-sac will go days without getting mail. I don’t blame the postal carriers at all; they’re the biggest victims of all besides we recipients of our mail (or lack thereof).
I am sorry you have to put up with that, Patti. For what it's worth, the only sway I know the President has is in appointing board members, and I think those have to be approved by congress. I am lucky to live in an area where I haven't noticed any postal problems, other than a cutback in how often they empty those blue mailboxes, but I, too, can hardly wait to see DeJoy removed from office.
Sioux, we let our letter carrier pick up our ballots when we mail them, so we are able to avoid the mailbox issue. I don't know how Portland letter carriers are, even though my sister lives there, but here in El Paso, they are good people.
And nowhere did I imply the postal carriers are not good people!
I do believe that most letter carriers are good people. I'm sorry I expressed my thoughts in a way that made you think otherwise/
Broke my heart when I read about the drop box vandalism. Reminded me of how I felt this year when a local city councilor wanted to ban books in our wonderful library. The citizens of Seaside Oregon recalled him, sending a clear message we don't want that here. I don't want voter suppression to tarnish our long standing successful elections in Oregon. We're spoiled here with by-mail voting and professional election staffing. Now you got grandma mad.
Should be a minimum 20 year sentence for each ballot box damaged or destroyed.
And all the lost ballots x 2 go to the party opposite of the perpetrator
That is literally my ballot drop box in PDX. I would like my beautiful city to be in the news for something that doesn’t make me incandescent with rage. But I will not be deterred. I’m still voting. And vote by mail rocks.
Subscribe to SMS
To receive WA ballot updates via text message:
• Use your cellular device to text the word VOTE to 868392
Received this today (Monday):
BALLOT ACCEPTED: Your ballot signature has been verified and your vote will be counted!
Questions? Contact your county: www.sos.wa.gov/elections/auditors
Got the same today
As a certified election observer in King county, WA, I appreciate your drawing attention to this issue. This election is the first time in years that I have been concerned for my safety. However, King County Elections is top notch and they care about the safety of the ballots and the people.
To that end, our coordinator sent out a message today letting us know that all 84 boxes will have private unarmed security present on election night. Some boxes will have flaggers and traffic control officers as well. We're also asked to please occasionally swing by our neighborhood ballot box and check to see if it is unharmed or if it's full and needing a pickup.
It is rare that anyone tries to bother election workers at the ballot box and the location where ballots are actually processed is reasonably safe. I hope that this isn't the election that changes that.
Thank you for your service and courage.
Until this election, courage was never a factor!
I’m glad I live in a state where they can count mail-ins as soon as they’re received (CA). I doubt this will be the last disreputable maneuver we see this cycle. I have numerous friends who are voting absentee/mail-in this year for the first time - they don’t want to be anywhere near a polling place on election day. Voting used to be so easy, even friendly. I do agree that voting should be a national holiday.
After all the scummy displays of deep disrespect vocalized at Madison Square Garden - the race baiting, the threats, the lies, the denigration, the just rude, crude, and socially unacceptable “hits”.
I have to admit to a few giggles - like Vivek Ramaswami talking about removing
immigrants. This country was built by immigrants. He looks like an immigrant.
Personally, I’m in favor of removing *him*.
Thank you, Joyce.
Political commentators have been eagerly awaiting this elections "October Surprise".
I think we may have just had it.
The Dumps hate filled rally in the Garden, may have finally opened the eyes of those Palestinian, Hispanic and Black voters who - so newspapers have been telling us - have been thinking about "holding their noses and voting for Trump".
These voters hold the margin of victory in the swing states.
Surprise!