caretaker

It's a convenient excuse for not taking questions, or maybe Melania told him to get out.

RICH

I don't have a scanner or printer, and there was only 1 envelope, with a bar code.
It was picked up by my mail person today. I will spend the weekend scouring nearby ditches to see if I can find it.'
Seriously though, online tracking says it was sent on 9/29 = 2 day delivery, so i will look tue/wed to see if it shows received.
I did think about the Trump +ve test before I filled it in but did not change my mind.

Leslie

He managed to string together complete sentences --- also an improvement. Maybe covid effects him differently than humans.

zzrmark

Ours will be delivered by the same trusted bloke that successfully delivered our primary ballots, me. I shall be taking them to the early voting location on Monday and dropping them in the box outside the station. I should know sometime Tuesday that my ballot has been received at the county elections office and then I'll keep an eye out for notifications advising issues, if any, and later on, that it's been counted.

Lion in Winter

Mine looks like this (identifying info removed of course). Very fishy, look at all those instructions in foreign on the right. Obviously the whole thing is rigged.

Steerpike

On my daily hike tonight, chatted with a fellow hiker who said she takes daily supplements of Vit D, Vit C, and Zinc. I am taking Vit D and Vit C. This must be the umpteenth time I've heard about zinc. Anyone care to offer an assessment of zinc? I heard it in association with the whole HCQ thing, so wrote it off as a Trumpism, but maybe Zinc is worth looking at? I also take a daily 'multivitamin' which contains 11 mg Zinc so maybe I'm covered

You seem to know rather a lot about drinking bleach

retzie

Right?! "Hey everyone, look at the healthcare your loved ones might have survived if they'd had..."

Steerpike

I actually called the Maricopa County (AZ) voter registration folks and - after a 25 minute hold - got a great guy who was very helpful. First of all, if I have mail-forwarding in force, they won't forward my ballot so it may get returned to sender. If I have mail-hold in force, they should hold it pending my return (I'm planning on being out of town for next 3 weeks). So the guy suggested I simply have them mail my ballot to my other address in CA. He said that was totally legit, and so I gave him the address and that's what should happen Oct. 7. He said I can mail it from CA - no issue with it being mailed from out-of-state.

I asked about signatures; he said if you registered to vote at the time of vehicle registration, the signature they have on file to 'match to' is the one on your drivers license. He also said, if they do have a discrepancy, they will call the number you write on your ballot. Signature is required, phone number is not - but if you provide it, they will call that number to discuss any signature issues. (good reason to have a cell phone! ).

I then asked about counting. The ballots are received and 'verified' (signature, etc) on receipt. But the actual VOTE is not tallied until election day. So the sooner you mail, the sooner you can verify it was received and valid. The online website feature allows you to verify things like 'received', 'validated', 'counted' etc.

All in all, a great conversation - worth the 20 minute hold!

scrubbedexpat091

Kellyanne Conway has tested positive.

scrubbedexpat091

https://www.uchealth.org/today/zinc-...t-of-covid-19/

All I could really find on zinc at least a reputable website.

Steerpike

The issue of 'removing the filibuster' has come up a number of times in recent days. I wasn't too familiar with the details, so I read this entire article that makes the case for removing the filibuster - https://www.vox.com/21424582/filibus...-abolish-trump . Basically, the senate requires a 60-vote majority to pass legislation, except judicial appointments and certain financial transactions. Removing the filibuster would basically make all votes a simple matter of a 51-vote majority. The article lays out 8 common reasons NOT to do it, then reasons why those arguments are invalid. Not understanding the history, I found this fascinating and informative. It also gives some background on the 'Republican bias' of the senate (due to small states having more clout), the concept of 'veto points', and much more.

If the Democrats take the senate this election, they could apparently make the rule change, and then also take the steps to admit Washington DC and Puerto Rico into the Senate, likely shifting the balance of power in the senate for a long time to come.

Steerpike

Talking to my neighbor on my hike tonight, he mentioned the possibility of another impeachment of Trump. The new Senate is seated early January, while Trump is still in power during his first term. This new Senate, if it has a Democratic majority, could then vote to impeach Trump still in his current term, even if he wins the election. I haven't heard much about it but I did see it flash by somewhere. I think it was mentioned as a threat to the current senate not to appoint a new Supreme Court judge before the election.

scrubbedexpat091

Some republicans might have a stroke if the knew I accessed and filled out my ballot on the internet. Although I do have to print it, and mail it back, can't submit online.

I am pretty sure there are several languages I can choose from as well.




I wish congress had term limits, some of these congress critters spend too many years in office, maybe 4 terms max for the House and 2 terms for Senate, at least there would be fresh minds coming in every few years.

Find me Doc Brown, and his time machine, we need to go back to the late 1700's and make some changes.......

scrubbedexpat091

This has crossed my mind a few times.

username.exe

Interesting, but most likely very fanciful thinking. The house would need to conduct impeachment hearings first (on what charges?), prior to the Senate trial. Seems like a lot to squeeze in to two months, especially if the election results are contested at the SC. When do House members commence their roles? After Jan 20? The Dems would also need to swing the Senate at the election, too.

If they do get rid of the filibuster, I'd like to see an end to the lame duck period (would that require a constitutional amendment?), and make election day a public holiday.