2024 Election - Thread #1

[Labster]

While we're discussing elections, I have a few process questions. They make sense from a Canadian's point of view, but might assume things that don't apply in the USA.

1. How do people in long-term hospice care vote? Does the polling station and ballot box go to them, or do they have to go to the ballot box even if they're otherwise bedridden?
   
2. How do homeless people show proof of residence when registering to vote? (In Canada, they get to use the address of any shelter where they've gotten a meal or a bed during the election campaign. There's a special form that the shelter's administrator gives them upon request.)
   
3. How do people in prison vote? Obviously, they can't go to the ballot box, so does the ballot box go to them or do they have to vote by mail?
   

There's an implicit assumption that you made above that's wrong, that these questions can be answered for the USA.  They can't, because every state is different.  It's kind of equivalent of asking how they do elections in the EU.  I can answer the questions above for California, but it really depends on the state as to whether or not they try as hard as possible to count every absentee vote, or try as hard as possible to discount every absentee vote.  Both kinds exist.

1. Every registered voter in California gets a vote-by-mail ballot if they have a mailing address on record.  If they are unable to sign, another person may cosign the ballot on returning it.
2. In California, no proof of residence nor identity card is required at any stage of the process.  (SSN or Drivers License is optional on the voter registration form, voting more than once or while ineligible is still a felony.)
3. People in prison do not vote.  If they do somehow vote, they may receive additional prison time.  In California, felons can vote upon release.  Two states and DC allow prisoners to vote, while nine states disenfranchise some felons for life.

California is not very normal of a state.  I've been reading about the court cases in Pennsylvania about letting voters who forget to include the secrecy envelope cast a second, provisional ballot -- and now all counties are required to count the provisional ballots.  And I'm honestly wondering how the state can fuck up the entire process so badly? So you don't count a ballot because an election worker might read it, like in what world does that make any sense?  It's literally their job to read ballots.  The state messages one fact and counties just ignore the state guidance.  There's another court case where it was determined that Pennsylvania must verify the dates on ballots.  Don't date your signature, or write the wrong date?  No vote for you.  So we have people manually validating that you wrote the correct day of the week on your ballot -- I hope your nines and fours don't look too much alike.

I'm picking on Pennsylvania because it's so nonsensical.  Other states have more restrictive, don't-trust-always-verify approaches to ballots, which are more sensical, but worse.