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Iowa House passes bill to ban ballot drop boxes, shorten return deadline

Do you do you banking over the internet without secure wifi or connection, without security software, and without a secure and private password? Maybe you do, but I prefer all the security possible just in case.
It's safer for the Brinks truck to drive up to my front door with a swat escort so I can deposit my checks rather than drive to the bank to deposit a check and avoid being robbed. It's "safer"! I think we should identify an actual problem occurring before we fire off a bunch of changes about a problem that doesn't exist.

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I don't see it as an issue in Iowa. From my first post in this thread through this post, my only point has been absentee voting is vulnerable to fraud. It is difficult for me to see how it isn't.

At the suggestion of another poster, I have already reached out a county auditor requesting time to discuss.

I am open minded on the matter and am trying to understand all views.
Here's the thing - of course it's vulnerable to fraud. So is in-person voting for that matter. Any system involving humans inherently is.In both cases there are safeguards in place to prevent it to the best of our abilities.

Quite frankly, I find it laughable that some find absentee voting as more vulnerable than in-person at polling locations, which are manned mostly by retirees and for little or no pay.

And yet there continues to be no evidence of the fraud that supposedly exists if it so vulnerable.
 
Have I offended you somehow?
Yeah, you have. I really can’t tolerate people who pretend to speak authoritatively on a subject that they have no experience or knowledge of. It’s a disturbing trend currently in this country.

Have you ever worked in an election? For the record I’ve worked in the local elections process at a minimum 20 different general and primary elections. I know from experience how the process works and the numerous controls and safeguards in place to prevent voter fraud.

Please detail how absentee balloting in cities or anywhere for that matter are vulnerable to voter fraud and be very specific about the process you could utilize to commit undetected voter fraud. If you can’t do so I’d encourage you to just STFU about the topic.
 
Looking for a number, not an excuse....
So, no fraud in Iowa, and this bill doesn't address actual fraud?
Looking for a reason for the legislation, and not a thinly veiled attempt to suppress voter turnout. Why is this important? Not Iowa, but in states like Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Nevada where Republicans are desperate to shave off a few votes to allow Trump to win. Down ballot races matter in Iowa, and MMM in the 1st District, and Zach Nunn in the 3rd District who are both vulnerable in a high turnout election.
 
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So, no fraud in Iowa, and this bill doesn't address actual fraud?
Looking for a reason for the legislation, and not a thinly veiled attempt to suppress voter turnout. Why is this important? Not Iowa, but in states like Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Nevada where Republicans are desperate to shave off a few votes to allow Trump to win. Down ballot races matter in Iowa, and MMM in the 1st District, and Zach Nunn in the 3rd District who are both vulnerable in a high turnout election.
How can you claim it is an attempt to suppress voter turnout when it does zero to stop you from voting?
 
Absentee voting is not exactly the same as wholesale mail in voting which is ripe with fraud. They hand out voter registration postcards to every illegal at the shelters in NYC.
There checks and balances…it is NOT as you describe. Oregon only has “mail in” voting and as offered it for well over a decade……so Oregon elections are a fraudulent…..but no one has bothered to challenge them?
 
There checks and balances…it is NOT as you describe. Oregon only has “mail in” voting and as offered it for well over a decade……so Oregon elections are a fraudulent…..but no one has bothered to challenge them?
The same party wins every time in Oregon kind of reminds me of the elections in Cuba or Iraq when Saddam was in power.

Mail in voting is ripe for fraud and must be eliminated.
 
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Yeah, you have. I really can’t tolerate people who pretend to speak authoritatively on a subject that they have no experience or knowledge of. It’s a disturbing trend currently in this country.

Have you ever worked in an election? For the record I’ve worked in the local elections process at a minimum 20 different general and primary elections. I know from experience how the process works and the numerous controls and safeguards in place to prevent voter fraud.

Please detail how absentee balloting in cities or anywhere for that matter are vulnerable to voter fraud and be very specific about the process you could utilize to commit undetected voter fraud. If you can’t do so I’d encourage you to just STFU about the topic.
No, I have never worked an election, but another poster tells me it is easier to commit fraud in person voting. Since you have worked at minimum 20 different elections, maybe you can speak to how you prevent voter fraud.

Absentee voting allows ballot harvesting. Ballot harvesting invites voter fraud.

I encourage you to open your mind beyond your liberal biases, treat others with more respect, and take time to understand topics in which you are not an expert.
 
Here's the thing - of course it's vulnerable to fraud. So is in-person voting for that matter. Any system involving humans inherently is.In both cases there are safeguards in place to prevent it to the best of our abilities.

Quite frankly, I find it laughable that some find absentee voting as more vulnerable than in-person at polling locations, which are manned mostly by retirees and for little or no pay.

And yet there continues to be no evidence of the fraud that supposedly exists if it so vulnerable.
You reject the idea that voter fraud stemming from absentee voting is difficult to prove, so maybe you can shed insights on how it could be proved if it did happen.
 
You reject the idea that voter fraud stemming from absentee voting is difficult to prove, so maybe you can shed insights on how it could be proved if it did happen.
If the “voter registration roles” are accurate, there are very few problems to be encountered….and they usually catch a handful each election cycle but voter fraud in Iowa is a rare phenomena. Iowa has historically had a “tight” election system with strong LOCAL controls……what is bothersome is the recent Legislative action to diminish this local control……
 
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You reject the idea that voter fraud stemming from absentee voting is difficult to prove, so maybe you can shed insights on how it could be proved if it did happen.
I never said that. I said there are safeguards in place. It’s entirely possible that some slip past despite all precautions, but enough to actually be statistically significant? It’s hard to believe it doesn’t get caught at some point in the process.

We know fraud happens. Every election cycle election officials complete audits and reviews. You’ll see published reports of instances of fraud - in Iowa after 2022 I think they said there were less than 10. Considering the hundreds Of thousands of votes that’s like 0.0001% or something.
 
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I never said that. I said there are safeguards in place. It’s entirely possible that some slip past despite all precautions, but enough to actually be statistically significant? It’s hard to believe it doesn’t get caught at some point in the process.

We know fraud happens. Every election cycle election officials complete audits and reviews. You’ll see published reports of instances of fraud - in Iowa after 2022 I think they said there were less than 10. Considering the hundreds Of thousands of votes that’s like 0.0001% or something.
sure...but what if we just pretend that doesn't happen and claim that we have no idea how bad the problem is?
 
No, I have never worked an election, but another poster tells me it is easier to commit fraud in person voting. Since you have worked at minimum 20 different elections, maybe you can speak to how you prevent voter fraud.

Absentee voting allows ballot harvesting. Ballot harvesting invites voter fraud.

I encourage you to open your mind beyond your liberal biases, treat others with more respect, and take time to understand topics in which you are not an expert.
You are taken another posters word for it . . . I can tell you voter fraud would be an extremely difficult process in person or by mail. Ballot harvesting does not invite fraud, it encourages, voting. There is an aspect of maybe these voters are too lazy, but in the same instance, you aren't really trying to limit fraud, as there has been very few instances (and mostly republican) but really trying to restrict the vote since there are more democrats than republicans.
 
Lots of guys got their balls blown off so your fat, lazy ass could vote, PERIOD! STFU, have some respect and follow the system that has worked since 1776 and quit bawling about your phucking convenience you whining, entitled prick! Inconvenient, is sitting in a wheelchair at some VA.......
This system has worked….I have voted EARLY ever since 1984…..now the (Republican) Ioway Legislature has seen fit to CHANGE this successful process…….and for no known reasons other than innuendo and fright.
You are right, “lots of guys got their balls blown off” to preserve the system that worked and guaranteed my right (and my accessibility) to voters. So take YOUR own advise and STFU.
 
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If the “voter registration roles” are accurate, there are very few problems to be encountered….and they usually catch a handful each election cycle but voter fraud in Iowa is a rare phenomena. Iowa has historically had a “tight” election system with strong LOCAL controls……what is bothersome is the recent Legislative action to diminish this local control……
I certainly have no reason to believe voter fraud exists in Iowa, and have said as much in my posts in this thread. Therefore, I understand the confusion as to why this is being considered by the Iowa legislature.

What happens to the handful they do catch each election cycle? How do they identify it? I have reached out to the polk county auditor for insights, but truly interested in expanding my understanding.

Fior the record, I am not an election denier.
 
I never said that. I said there are safeguards in place. It’s entirely possible that some slip past despite all precautions, but enough to actually be statistically significant? It’s hard to believe it doesn’t get caught at some point in the process.

We know fraud happens. Every election cycle election officials complete audits and reviews. You’ll see published reports of instances of fraud - in Iowa after 2022 I think they said there were less than 10. Considering the hundreds Of thousands of votes that’s like 0.0001% or something.
This is a productive post. Thank you!
 
You are taken another posters word for it . . . I can tell you voter fraud would be an extremely difficult process in person or by mail. Ballot harvesting does not invite fraud, it encourages, voting. There is an aspect of maybe these voters are too lazy, but in the same instance, you aren't really trying to limit fraud, as there has been very few instances (and mostly republican) but really trying to restrict the vote since there are more democrats than republicans.
Both can be true.

Your post is a good one. Thank you for that.

In an effort to say constructive, I am not posting this for argument. I am posting it for discussion. What is to prevent corruption from organized political campaigns or bad actors who harvest ballots? Couldn't they go door to door, hold an event, etc where they collect absentee ballots and drop off the ones they want and discard the ones they don't. Possibly even ask the absentee voters to sign the ballots without filling them in.

It seems to me bad actors could easily commit election fraud. It would be difficult to prove. Tell me why I am wrong to think this is plausible.
 
I certainly have no reason to believe voter fraud exists in Iowa, and have said as much in my posts in this thread. Therefore, I understand the confusion as to why this is being considered by the Iowa legislature.

What happens to the handful they do catch each election cycle? How do they identify it? I have reached out to the polk county auditor for insights, but truly interested in expanding my understanding.

Fior the record, I am not an election denier.
They go to Court…..and the Court deals with them. I don’t believe any have ever been sentenced to anything more than “probation” or “dont do it again”…..
 
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Ahhhh….but it did…….The MMM election, IF all the votes cast were counted, she would have lost that election by a dozen votes or so…..so some folks who DID vote, had their votes disregarded.
If you actually show up at a polling location and vote during the hours the polling location is open your vote is counted.

Pretty simple concept.
 
Probably multiple times too if you vote multiple times by mail.
No….I always vote multiple times on Election Day….all I do is show them my “official Iowa ID”…..really simple……registered Democrats get these special voter IDs when they register to vote……I only vote 4-5 times per election though…I dont wanna abuse my privilege.
 
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Do you vote more than 2-3 times, like me Jimmy?
I do, here in the Socialist Republic of Johnson County we have drive through voting, you don’t even have to get out of your car, it’s curbside service. It’s the best. After I’ve voted I just drive around the block and get back in line to vote again but I make sure to change my hat or put on sunglasses or a fake mustache. Sometimes I speak in a strange accent to conceal my previous fake identities. They never seem to catch on to my ruse so I just keep on circling the block and voting until I get tired of it or my car runs out of gas.

Soros!
 
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I do, here in the Socialist Republic of Johnson County we have drive through voting, you don’t even have to get out of your car, it’s curbside service. It’s the best. After I’ve voted I just drive around the block and get back in line to vote again but I make sure to change my hat or put on sunglasses or a fake mustache. Sometimes I speak in a strange accent to conceal my previous fake identities. They never seem to catch on to my ruse so I just keep on circling the block and voting until I get tired of it or my car runs out of gas.

Soros!
Hell, here in Polk Co you dont have to do that….just give’m a different official “Voters ID” card…..you can give‘m all 4 or 5 of your cards the first time thru…as long as the ID matches a name on the voter;s ,list……who cares….you gotta be eligible….after all the Repubbers wrote the rules! FOOL PROOF!
 
Both can be true.

Your post is a good one. Thank you for that.

In an effort to say constructive, I am not posting this for argument. I am posting it for discussion. What is to prevent corruption from organized political campaigns or bad actors who harvest ballots? Couldn't they go door to door, hold an event, etc where they collect absentee ballots and drop off the ones they want and discard the ones they don't. Possibly even ask the absentee voters to sign the ballots without filling them in.

It seems to me bad actors could easily commit election fraud. It would be difficult to prove. Tell me why I am wrong to think this is plausible.
Ballot collecting, also known as "ballot harvesting", is the gathering and submitting of completed absentee or mail-in voter ballots by third-party individuals, volunteers or workers, rather than submission by voters themselves directly to ballot collection sites.

Seems you don't know what ballot harvesting is. They are affectively the drop box. Now you are true. What stops them from burning the ballots, nothing, accept they are general part of their party. They aren't going to burn votes that are not their own. Again, you are creating a problem that generally is not a problem.

I was told yesterday during tax appointment we were being overrun by illegals. This is not to say there is an issue currently with immigration that I have my own solutions to, but I looked out my window, and said damn, must of missed em. I haven't seen a single one today yesterday or in the last year.
 
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Ballot collecting, also known as "ballot harvesting", is the gathering and submitting of completed absentee or mail-in voter ballots by third-party individuals, volunteers or workers, rather than submission by voters themselves directly to ballot collection sites.

Seems you don't know what ballot harvesting is. They are affectively the drop box. Now you are true. What stops them from burning the ballots, nothing, accept they are general part of their party. They aren't going to burn votes that are not their own. Again, you are creating a problem that generally is not a problem.

I was told yesterday during tax appointment we were being overrun by illegals. This is not to say there is an issue currently with immigration that I have my own solutions to, but I looked out my window, and said damn, must of missed em. I haven't seen a single one today yesterday or in the last year.
The text in bold is my understanding of ballot harvesting.

I accept your answer that there is nothing from stopping the third-party individual from burning the ballots. I reject the idea that they are generally part of their party, so would have no incentive to burn votes for the candidate the third-party individual does not support.

If a nursing home employee helps their residents with the absentee voting process, then they are not generally part of the political party of the residents. The same with a church, apartment complex, etc, etc, etc.

Advocates for absentee voting and ballot harvesting stake their defense on lack of proof that election fraud exists. My question has been and continues to be, if election fraud is taking place, then how could it be proved.
 
What would you expect from the state of Iowa? It sure in the hell wouldn’t be honesty. State of Iowa is a Republican Circus run by a alcoholic governor
 
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