Russ’s Ravings: Stop Asking To Vote In Person

Editor's note: The following is Patch Field Editor Russ Crespolini's, hopefully, weekly column. It is reflective of his opinion alone.

There has been a new wrinkle ever since Governor Phil Murphy announced there would be a vote by mail option for the November General Election: People are pretending that is how we have to vote.

Which just isn’t the case. The move, made by Governor Phil Murphy last week is designed to make it easy for everyone to safely and comfortably vote during this global pandemic.

But despite that, my inbox has been full of emails from angry readers, social media has been exploding with people demanding the right to vote in person and I have been asked to sign numerous petitions demanding that on election day there be in-person voting allowed.

And it isn’t needed.

Why, you ask? Because no one says you can't vote in-person if you want to.

Here is how it is planned:

• Murphy said every voter will be mailed a ballot that they can fill out and mail back. Because of delays in U.S. Postal Service deliveries, however, election advocates advise people to send them back no later than Oct. 22.
• The ballots will be mailed by Oct. 5. You will receive it from your county clerk.
• You will not receive a sample ballot this year.
• Mail-in ballots must bear a postmark on or before Election Day or they won't be counted. They must be received by 8 p.m. Nov. 10.
• Drop boxes will be set up if you'd rather avoid the U.S. Postal Service. You can find drop boxes here, but Murphy plans to expand the number of them.
• Murphy said people can also submit the voter-by-mail ballot at a polling place on Election Day.
• Ballots that lack postmarks because of postal error need to be received by 8 p.m. Nov. 5 to be counted.
• Schools with in-person instruction will close on Election Day.
• If you do vote in person, you will be given a provisional paper ballot. Murphy told CNN on Friday morning that the state is taking this step "because the folks won't necessarily know at the voting location whether or not you have already mailed a ballot in."

"Every vote should be safe. Every vote be secure. Every vote should be count," Murphy said.

But Russ, what about the fact that they are going to "buckshot" send out ballots to everyone! Living or dead!

Mail-in ballots are mailed only to registered voters. And the rolls are purged regularly. They don't do a "buckshot" blast of mail-in ballots. Even if a mail-in ballot is sent to someone who is dead or no longer lives at the address, it does not mean the vote will be counted. The voter has to sign the outside of the envelope when they return the ballot. If the ballot does not have a signature, or if the signature does not match what's in the county's voter registration poll book, they send a letter to the voter saying "You forgot to sign or your signature does not match. Please confirm that you were the voter," and you have to provide information to confirm it's actually you.

Oh yeah, Russ, what about that voter fraud in Paterson?

Glad you brought that up. That was in May, was a special election, local election and it was caught and those involved were charged. So the system worked.

That sounds slick, Russ, but what about the fact that I don't trust the Post Office to deliver my ballot in time?

Completely sensible concern. That is one of the reasons why you can also bring your mail-in ballot to a drop box stationed out near your home.

There is something so special about voting on election day, I want to go to the polls in my town!

Well you're in luck. The polls will be open in your town! At least one per municipality and 50 percent of the polling stations per county. You can show up on Nov. 3 and hand over your ballot to a real, live person.

Hand in my ballot? I don't want to do that! I want to make up my mind that last SECOND when I walk in the building.

Good news! You can! You can fill out a provisional ballot right there on the spot at your polling location.

A provisional ballot? Why?

Because the workers at the polls won't know if you already mailed in your ballot so this makes sure no one votes twice.

But aren't provisional ballots not counted unless the race is close?

Provisional ballots are always counted once verified as legitimate, and the election isn't certified until they are. The rest of the votes still get counted and no one is installed in office based on the incomplete count.

I need to vote in an ADA compliant booth? What do I do?

You show up at the polls like you normally would. There will be an ADA compliant booth waiting for you.

I hate change. I want to be able to stand online indoors, go into a small closed off booth and press the buttons on the machine.

There I can't help you. The decision was made that waiting online indoors and going into a tiny booth and forcing poll workers to clean and sanitize after every vote just wasn't prudent when there were other, safer options available.

"If you can stand online at the MVC or the food store, you can vote in a booth, Russ!"

But this would disenfranchise the many people who are not going to stores and are not taking risks because they are concerned about the pandemic. And there are many. The vote-by-mail was done to ensure that all have the opportunity to vote safely. To do that, and keep security, provisional ballots need to be used and not the booth.

My friends, despite what social media and politicians looking for political capital are telling you, the option to vote in-person remains. No one is taking it away from you. And what your argument is actually for, is taking it away from others. Surely you don't want that. Surely you want everyone to be able to vote so a true reflection of what the country wants is represented, right?

So exercise that right to vote. Use that right whether it is in-person, absentee, mail-in or provisional. Make your voice heard.

And don't forget, our government is designed to run from the bottom up, not the top down. Your local elections are crucial. Get informed and vote whatever way you are comfortable.

Russ Crespolini is a Field Editor for Patch Media, adjunct professor and college newspaper advisor. His columns have won awards from the National Newspaper Association and the New Jersey Press Association.

He writes them in hopes of connecting with readers and engaging with them. And because it is cheaper than therapy. He can be reached at russ.crespolini@patch.com