2020 Absentee/Early Voting thread

[Dr. Arch]

Georgia: 126,876 in-person votes cast on the first day (plus 35,353 mail ballots). Pre-10/12 vote tallies/percentages by demographic can be found here.

After today's update of voters, the electorate got quite a bit blacker (33.6 -> 34.4) and substantially younger (18-29: 5.2 -> 6.1; 65+: 60.0 -> 52.5).

601,247 voters have cast ballots as of Monday.

Holy smokes! What are your impressions vis-à-vis 2018?

[Ferguson97]

https://twitter.com/chucklindell/status/1315883900418379777?s=21

[Tender Branson]

Republicans are the enemy of the people.

Should Biden and Dems win big, the first thing they need to do is pack the Supreme Court and pass a significant election reform package, with automatic voter registration, same day registration, a national election results page, a precinct for every 400 voters within walking distance, expansion of mail-in and drop off locations, de-politification of the postal service and proper funding and a lot more.

[Interlocutor is just not there yet]

With hours to go before early voting starts in Texas, I just wanted to pull up some countywide registration & early voting numbers. While I could find daily early vote updates for the more populous counties, I couldn't find the statewide early vote numbers.


Biggest gain of new voters since 2018
1.  Harris             +134,909
2.  Bexar               +83,989
3.  Tarrant             +76,097
4.  Travis               +75,240
5.  Denton             +66,612
6.  Dallas               +62,117
7.  Collin                +60,681
8.  Fort Bend         +49,594
9.  Williamson       +43,320
10. Montgomery   +33,947

Biggest percentage gain of new voters since 2018
1.  Comal             +13.0%
2.  Denton            +11.8%
3.  Parker             +11.8%
4.  Williamson     +11.5%
5.  Rockwall         +11.3%
6.  Kaufman         +11.2%
7.  Hays                +10.8%
8.  Fort Bend        +10.3%
9.  Ellis                    +9.8%
10. Guadalupe       +9.6%

Biggest gain of new voters since 2016
1.  Harris               +238,698
2.  Bexar               +136,889
3.  Travis               +126,155
4.  Tarrant             +121,096
5.  Dallas               +110,348
6.  Collin                +103,216
7.  Denton               +99,312
8.  Fort Bend           +77,391
9.  Williamson         +75,347
10. El Paso              +59,417

Biggest percentage gain of new voters since 2016
1.  Comal             +20.3%
2.  Williamson     +20.1%
3.  Hays               +19.5%
4.  Rockwall        +19.1%
5.  Parker            +18.1%
6.  Denton           +17.6%
7.  Kaufman        +17.3%
8.  Collin              +16.1%
9.  Fort Bend       +16.1%
10. Guadalupe    +15.9%

[Interlocutor is just not there yet]

Day 1 of early voting in Texas (In-person + VBM)


HARRIS COUNTY (Houston)
2012:    87,659      4.4% of registered voters in Harris
2016:  129,014      5.8%
2018:  115,601      4.9%

DALLAS COUNTY (Dallas)
2012:   48,877       4.2%
2016:   80,301       6.2%
2018:   81,723       6.1%

TARRANT COUNTY (Fort Worth)
2012:   52,225       5.4%
2016:   65,156       6.1%
2018:   62,971       5.6%

BEXAR COUNTY (San Antonio)
2012:   37,616       4.1%
2016:   52,712       5.0%
2018:   45,170       4.1%

TRAVIS COUNTY (Austin)
2012:   20,935       3.3%
2016:   46,086       6.4%
2018:   47,405       6.1%

COLLIN COUNTY (Dallas suburbs)
2012:   21,035       4.6%
2016:   36,719       6.8%
2018:   42,511       7.3%

DENTON COUNTY (Dallas suburbs)
2012:   16,230       4.2%
2016:   21,994       4.7%
2018:   24,694       5.0%

EL PASO COUNTY (El Paso)
2012:      9465       2.5%
2016:   19,458       4.5%
2018:   23,449       5.1%

WILLIAMSON COUNTY (Austin suburbs)
2012:   12,410       4.9%
2016:   24,214       8.1%
2018:   23,496       7.1%

HIDALGO COUNTY (Rio Grande Valley)
2012:   13,831       4.5%
2016:   23,458       6.9%
2018:   19,650       5.4%

NUECES COUNTY (Corpus Christi)
2012:      7310       3.8%
2016:   10,231       5.1%
2018:   12,064       5.9%

CAMERON COUNTY (Rio Grande Valley)
2012:      4810       2.7%
2016:      8401       4.3%
2018:      9223       4.5%

[NOVA Green]

Republicans are the enemy of the people.

Should Biden and Dems win big, the first thing they need to do is pack the Supreme Court and pass a significant election reform package, with automatic voter registration, same day registration, a national election results page, a precinct for every 400 voters within walking distance, expansion of mail-in and drop off locations, de-politification of the postal service and proper funding and a lot more.

My response on another thread:

"I agree with your fundamental statement regarding TX & GA and voter suppression, when it comes to equal access to voting.

In terms of your self-quote from a few hours previously, I generally agree when it comes passing a significant election reform package, including AVR, Same Day Registration, expansion of mail-in and drop-off locations, and maintaining the integrity of the USPS when it comes to delivery ballots to the Citizens equally in every State, County, & Municipality, as well as ensuring that there are not inequalities when it comes to ballots getting delivered in a timely fashion to local election authorities.

That being said:

1.) Oregon has AVR (Meaning within a Statewide context,  that every American Citizen who has any contact with the DMV, is automatically registered to vote, unless they choose to "opt-out".

If they "opt-in" they do not need select a Party Registration, but can certainly choose to do so, and if they don't select a party registration, are automatically registered as a "Non-Party Affiliated" voter.

2.) Oregon is also a Universal VbM State (Humbly speaking as an Oregonian, the first in the Nation to adopt VbM), so basically your ballot gets sent to your mailing address on file.

3.) We also have official mail drop-ballot boxes located conveniently throughout places both City and Rural Areas, so that folks don't have to worry about having a postage stamp floating around in their pockets.

4.) Part of your statement is perhaps somewhat irrelevant when it comes to enhancing universal voting, such as "packing the Supreme Court", which to many might be considered a separate issue from the whole Voting Rights scene.  After all in many cases these are State and District Courts, rather than the Supreme Court making these decisions.

5.) "A precinct for every 400 voters within walking distance" sounds a bit ludicrous, if I am reading your statement at face value.

There are many places within the United States, both within City / Suburbs / Rurals, where this is simply not feasible.

This would create a massive expansion of precincts within the US the likes of which we have never seen, and we would end up with 10,000s of additional precincts with simply 1-2 total voters.

Perhaps you are suggesting that population density should allow for increased numbers of in-person voting precincts?

I think that is the direction you're going here, although (400) voters for every precinct within walking district had me scratching my head, since population density levels, even in larger urban/suburban parts of America are much less so than in many European Countries.

6.) I do have some concerns regarding the "national elections result reporting page", since quite frankly one of the strengths of the American electoral results systems when it comes to foreign hacking, etc has been the decentralized nature of our election reporting systems.

I spent at least (20) Hours going through precinct results from OH in the '04 GE, when I was a younger guy, because a roommate of mine was claiming the voter-hacking from Diebold systems was the reason that Kerry lost in '04!"

[NOVA Green]

Day 1 of early voting in Texas (In-person + VBM)


HARRIS COUNTY (Houston)
2012:    87,659      4.4%
2016:  129,014      5.8%
2018:  115,601      4.9%

DALLAS COUNTY (Dallas)
2012:   48,877       4.2%
2016:   80,301       6.2%
2018:   81,723       6.1%

TARRANT COUNTY (Fort Worth)
2012:   52,225       5.4%
2016:   65,156       6.1%
2018:   62,971       5.6%

BEXAR COUNTY (San Antonio)
2012:   37,616       4.1%
2016:   52,712       5.0%
2018:   45,170       4.1%

TRAVIS COUNTY (Austin)
2012:   20,935       3.3%
2016:   46,086       6.4%
2018:   47,405       6.1%

COLLIN COUNTY (Dallas suburbs)
2012:   21,035       4.6%
2016:   36,719       6.8%
2018:   42,511       7.3%

DENTON COUNTY (Dallas suburbs)
2012:   16,230       4.2%
2016:   21,994       4.7%
2018:   24,694       5.0%

EL PASO COUNTY (El Paso)
2012:      9465       2.5%
2016:   19,458       4.5%
2018:   23,449       5.1%

WILLIAMSON COUNTY (Austin suburbs)
2012:   12,410       4.9%
2016:   24,214       8.1%
2018:   23,496       7.1%

HIDALGO COUNTY (Rio Grande Valley)
2012:   13,831       4.5%
2016:   23,458       6.9%
2018:   19,650       5.4%

NUECES COUNTY (Corpus Christi)
2012:      7310       3.8%
2016:   10,231       5.1%
2018:   12,064       5.9%

CAMERON COUNTY (Rio Grande Valley)
2012:      4810       2.7%
2016:      8401       4.3%
2018:      9223       4.5%

I like what you are doing here Monstro.... keep it up.

[wbrocks67]

The insane new # of registrants in TX just goes to show that I don't think pollsters really know who's showing up this year, tbh.

[Tender Branson]

There are many African countries where people are not waiting hours to vote ...

https://twitter.com/davidfrum/status/1315813973703487490

This must change. Comprehensive election reform after Jan. 20th !

Bring the US into the 21st century.

[bilaps]

You have like 30 days to vote. I mean...

[Buzz]

They have the next three weeks to vote, or could have voted by mail/absentee ballot.  Nobody forced them to go in day 1 of early voting.  If they would have waited a week the wait would have been 10 minutes.

[Flo 2.0]

They have the next three weeks to vote, or could have voted by mail/absentee ballot.  Nobody forced them to go in day 1 of early voting.  If they would have waited a week the wait would have been 10 minutes.

if i remember correctly, the first day of early voting in georgia was among the slowest, no?

[Inmate Trump]

They have the next three weeks to vote, or could have voted by mail/absentee ballot.  Nobody forced them to go in day 1 of early voting.  If they would have waited a week the wait would have been 10 minutes.

if i remember correctly, the first day of early voting in georgia was among the slowest, no?

Historically, yes.  The first day of early voting in Georgia is typically one of the slowest.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/BreakingChesky/status/1315985159951462401

[Brittain33]

https://twitter.com/BreakingChesky/status/1315985159951462401

Siri, show me the Streisand Effect

[exopolitician]

I'm in line for early voting in McKinney and it's an hour long wait. This is insane.

[republican1993]

I'm in line for early voting in McKinney and it's an hour long wait. This is insane.

you can vote by mail, vote on election day or wait a few days... LOL

[exopolitician]

I'm in line for early voting in McKinney and it's an hour long wait. This is insane.

you can vote by mail, vote on election day or wait a few days... LOL

OR I could wait in line and vote now?

[wbrocks67]

I'm in line for early voting in McKinney and it's an hour long wait. This is insane.

you can vote by mail, vote on election day or wait a few days... LOL

I mean, I understand the concept of your answer, but two things can happen at once. You could wait till another day to vote, sure, or vote a different way... but at the same time, there's no reason why there isn't more sites in MANY states right now to vote. One drop box in a whole county is insane. Just like in GA, there should've been more remote sites to early vote at.

[Inmate Trump]

I'm in line for early voting in McKinney and it's an hour long wait. This is insane.

you can vote by mail, vote on election day or wait a few days... LOL

I mean, I understand the concept of your answer, but two things can happen at once. You could wait till another day to vote, sure, or vote a different way... but at the same time, there's no reason why there isn't more sites in MANY states right now to vote. One drop box in a whole county is insane. Just like in GA, there should've been more remote sites to early vote at.

It's a fundamental Republican philosophy to make it harder for people to vote.  This is why Election Day still isn't a national holiday...it's the ONLY reason they're railing against mail-in ballots...it's why there are hours long lines to vote...it's why they purge voter rolls...it's why they decrease polling sites and limit the ways in which we can cast our ballots.

They know that they're quickly losing demographics and they're grasping at whatever threads they can.

Eventually the only way they'll be able to stay in power is by outright cheating.

[Holmes]

Whenever people bring up long voting lines, Republicans are always so quick to say "you don't have to vote today!" or "there are other ways to vote!" Like calm down. So quick to the defense.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Conservatives in this thread are astonishingly deferential to Their Team's policies around voting given that they're devotees of an allegedly individualist ideology. They're not even bothering to argue for the utility, still less the necessity, of having one drop box in counties larger than some states or generating eleven-hour lines at the polls, only proposing workarounds as if those features of non-Atlas-red-state elections were unchangeable natural realities.

[exopolitician]

He's just mad his candidate is crap and people are excited to vote him out. Its no biggie...die mad friend. 😉

[Non Swing Voter]

They have the next three weeks to vote, or could have voted by mail/absentee ballot.  Nobody forced them to go in day 1 of early voting.  If they would have waited a week the wait would have been 10 minutes.

So you're saying they shouldn't have gone day 1 because the long wait on day 1 would have been predictable?  If the long wait time was predictable why didn't Georgia do something about it like have extra people and booths set up for just the first day?

[Non Swing Voter]

I'm in line for early voting in McKinney and it's an hour long wait. This is insane.

Is that a DEM or GOP area?