What You Can Do Now To Protect Your Vote
New Hanover Democrats need to take steps right now to avoid a disaster like the ones in the primaries in Wisconsin, Ohio, Maryland, DC, Georgia and others. In state after state, elections authorities found it difficult to staff polling places because of the corona virus, resulting in closures of polling places and long lines. Wisconsin called up the National Guard to help run the election, but found itself short of experienced workers, and unable to conduct effective training because of the pandemic.
In addition, many voters in Wisconsin and other states who tried to vote by mail lost their votes due to processing backlogs at the Board of Elections and long mail times. Wisconsin was responding to a fourfold increase in ballot requests. North Carolina Elections Director Karen Brinson Bell predicts that 40% of ballots will be cast by mail in 2020, a tenfold increase.
The New Hanover County Board of Elections is planning now for the election this Fall, and they are aware of these problems. However, they will be managing an unprecedented volume of votes by mail at the same time they are coping with shortages of trained and experienced workers due to COVID 19.
Here's the best single thing you can do to help the Board of Elections face these challenges and safeguard your vote. Apply now for an absentee by mail ballot. To request a ballot, fill out the request form here, then print it out and mail it to our county Board of Elections. Alternatively, you can call the Board of Elections at (910) 798-7330 and ask them to mail you an application. Then tell everyone you know to do the same thing. The Board of Elections will begin mailing ballots on September 4.
In case you are worried about whether voting by mail works, it does. The US military has been voting by mail since the Civil War.
The Board of Elections will begin tabulating vote by mail ballots on September 29th, five weeks before Election Day. That means that if you vote by mail and do it early, your ballot will be counted before the ballots at early voting and before Election Day ballots. The two leading causes for disqualification of vote by mail ballots is late receipt and lack of signature. To make sure your ballot counts submit it early, and sign it. It's that simple and Donald Trump can't take it away.
Best,
Richard Poole, Chair
New Hanover County Democratic Party
Paid for by the New Hanover County Democratic Party
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Mailing Address: NHCDP PO Box 3036 Wilmington, NC 28406
Office Address: 5041 New Centre Drive Wilmington, NC 28403 unsubscribe |