My mail-in ballot is lost in the mail
And I don't know if I should blame the post office
Update on March 17, 2024: After waiting the required amount of time for my ballot to be received, I returned to the early voting center. There is a specific form to fill out, in addition to the application and signature verification, and check off the box that you mailed your ballot but it has not been received/is lost in the mail. I filled out both and voted shortly after. Even now, my ballot status online still says “Waiting to be processed by USPS®.” In all the years I’ve voted by mail, my ballot was received in 48 hours. Now I see why people take their ballot to the early voting location — even if it defeats the purpose of a mail-in ballot.
My mail-in ballot is lost in the mail, and I kinda sorta blame myself. Four months ago, someone stole a check I wrote to my mortgage company from a neighborhood mailbox. But not only did the person steal the check from the envelope, but she wrote a check for four times that amount addressed to herself “for bills” with my check design.
And I know cursive handwriting is about as ancient as typewriting classes for Gen Zers, but I was pissed to see how sloppy my name was signed. (Yes, it’s petty. But I get complimented on my handwriting at least once a week.) After going through the tedious process of two bank visits to set up a new checking account, putting a freeze on my prior checking account and filling out a police report, I started all over again with a new checking account and prioritizing dog walks to the post office instead.
ADVERTISEMENT ~ Recommended Read from Amazon
Naive me thought four months was long enough to dodge this mailbox after that chaos, so I dropped my mail-in ballot inside. Fail. Almost two weeks later, the Board of Elections has not processed my ballot, and the tracking status is still stuck in “outgoing.” I have participated in mail-in voting for several years, and I never had this problem before.
Then again, in years prior, I didn’t see how horrendous mail carriers were being treated. In fact, 305 mail carriers were robbed in the first half of fiscal year 2023. Theft from the blue collection boxes totaled 38,500 in fiscal year 2022 and kicked off with 25K in the first half of fiscal year 2023. And while I’m no stranger to news of porch pirates, what kind of weirdo steals mail-in ballots? What if I voted for the candidate you wanted to win?
Recommended Read: “Porch pirates: Speedy delivery may lead to more mail theft”
More importantly, how should a voter handle a lost ballot in the event it’s later found? Absolutely no one wants to be attorney James Saunders, who was fined $10K and received a three-year prison sentence for voting twice. And while Bruce Bartman (who voted in his dead mother’s name) got five years probation and Terri Lynn Rote (who voted twice) got two years of probation and a $750 fine, Crystal Mason was sentenced to five years in jail for voting altogether.