I voted absentee in person some time ago, because I was an election officer in the Central Absentee Precinct (CAP), processing absentee ballots that are mailed in. Ballots received by mail need the voter's signature and witness signature (witness that the person who is supposed to vote that ballot is that person, not witnessing the vote). Missing either is what is known in my state as a material omission. and is cause for rejecting the ballot. It's sad that folks who have taken the time to apply for an absentee ballot and actually voted and returned their ballot in time, still didn't get their vote to count because they neglected to follow the instructions. Each year that I work in the CAP I discover some problems that could be avoided if people were more informed about their rights and the process. For one example, the Post Office does not forward mail from the Office of Elections, so, for example, if you are a student away at school and you have your mail forwarded from your home address to your school address, and you have your absentee ballot sent to your home address (maybe at the time you apply you don't know your address at school), you'll never get the absentee ballot; it will be marked as undeliverable by the Post Office and returned to the Office of Elections. The easy fix for this would be to note on the absentee ballot application that the Post Office will not forward absentee ballots. But does the ballot application say so? No.

I could have had it mailed to me and mail it back in but I don't trust the post office enough for something I consider this important. I decided that since I had to go to City Hall anyway, I might as well vote. Not sure when I'll get off work that day and wouldn't be able to stand in line for hours like last couple times. I too have problems with declaring winners before the polls close. I don't think the ballots should even be counted until all polls are closed but that wouldn't solve it either since the networks poll for their results. There's been concerns about the number of people outside the polls making it difficult for people to get in and out easily. Everyone wants to be first to announce it, and I understand that. But there's a limit.

We too don't have "early voting", rather absentee voting option. There's a number of criteria to be able to use absentee and I use it often. I believe in voting and I think this year is an important year to vote anyway. I went in to vote absentee on Saturday and there had to be 40-50 people in line and it was about 1/2 hour before closing. I filled out my application and this one lady insisted I go ahead of her. I politely declined and said I'll wait my turn but she was adamant. Said it would just take longer since they take handicapped first. Really nice of her. I knew how I was voting so it didn't take me long to vote per se, but it still took about 1/2 hour. I haven't taken a drive by any polls to see what they look like today. This state generally has a pretty good turnout. Don't know what the estimates are but I'd guess 70%-75% wouldn't be out of the question. I remember when I was working campaigns and "our side" got a frantic call from a voter who said she voted for our candidate and when she checked the ballot it showed the opponent. It was the days of punchcards. Long before "dangling chads" became common vernacular. Not much to do about it but we had as many people as we could get a hold of double check their ballots to see if there was any similar incidents. Campaigns were a lot of work, but a lot of fun. And a real sense of pride and accomplishment even if your side lost. You really did learn a lot about people and about the system. That's why I encourage people to get involved instead of whining "it doesn't make a difference..."

I voted Friday. There was only one polling place for our entire county this year. It was at the Alerus Center where they have various indoor sports arenas for football, ice hockey, concerts, conventions...it’s beyond huge. The “early voting” had been going on all last week so it wasn’t crowded at all. I managed to walk in while DH parked the truck, but we borrowed a wheel chair to haul me out for the last mile and a half! It seemed that far anyway. All-in-all it was quick and highly organized process. All the local polling monitors from the various towns were there, too. Great social distancing, everyone in masks.