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The Difference Between Absentee and Mail-In Ballots

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As voters prepare to make their voices heard on Election Day, during a pandemic, the news cycle is full of debates about voter fraud and the merits of voting by mail. The terms ‘absentee ballot’ and ‘mail-in ballot’ keep getting tossed around seemingly interchangeably. There is, however, a key difference.

Every U.S. state allows absentee voting, that is, if you cannot physically go to your polling location in person on Election Day, a ballot is sent to you via the mail. Typically, several states require an explanation be given for why you can’t vote in-person.

Historically. these ballots were only available for military personnel and American citizens overseas, those out of town, or those who are ill, according to CNET. These ballots are now widely used across the nation.

Due to the pandemic, 35 states have changed their absentee voting policies to allow anyone to apply for one, hoping to lessen the spread of the virus.

Some states have deemed this “no-excuse absentee voting,” meaning a voter doesn’t have to give an explanation this cycle, but they do still have to apply for the ballot.

Some states are sending applications for absentee ballots out to all voters, these request-forms have been mistaken as mail-in ballots across social media. as reported by CNET. While this promotes widespread voting through the mail, it is not a “mail-in ballot.”

Mail-in ballots are sent to every eligible voter in the state, without any request or explanation needed. Several states including California and Washington are sending legitimate ballots to every voter in the state whether or not they are wanted. Other terms for this are “all-mail voting” and “universal vote by mail.”

This term can mean different things in various states. “Mail-in voting” can mean no-excuse absentee voting or it can mean universal vote by mail. To be sure of your state’s planned method, check with your state’s Board of Elections.

Other methods to cast a vote include early voting, which is an in-person option as select polling locations or good-old voting in-person on Election Day.

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Elections

RFK Jr. announces lifelong Democrat, advocate of left-leaning causes, CA native as running mate

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Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced Tuesday that attorney and tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan will be his vice presidential running mate in the upcoming election. The Independent candidate announced his choice for the 38-year-old Oakland, California native by praising her insight into “how Big Tech uses AI to manipulate the public,” her athletic ability, and willingness to be a “partner” in a number of policy areas, including on securing the border.

Fox News writes that Shanahan is a philanthropist with a long history of donating to Democrat and left-leaning causes, including supporting President Biden in his 2020 election bid before switching to Kennedy when he launched his own run for the Democrat nomination last year.

She is the founder and president of Bia-Echo Foundation, a private firm that describes its mission as focused on “new frontiers in reproductive longevity & equality, criminal justice reform and a healthy & livable planet.”

Fox News reports Shanahan initially dropped her support for Kennedy after he decided to run as an independent, but later got behind him again by giving $4 million to the super PAC that boosted his candidacy with a John F. Kennedy-themed campaign ad that ran during the Super Bowl in February.

Shanahan also previously donated to Democrat presidential candidates Marianne Williamson and Pete Buttigieg during the 2020 presidential race, and threw more than $150,000 behind progressive Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon’s 2020 election bid.

Shanahan, a life-long Democrat, told the crowd that she was leaving the party.

“The Democratic Party is supposed to be the party of compassion. It is supposed to be the party of free speech, and most importantly, the party of the middle class and the American dream,” Shanahan said.

“While I know many Democrats still abide by those values…I do believe they’ve lost their way in their leadership,” she continued.

And she urged “disillusioned” Democrats and Republicans to support Kennedy’s independent White House bid.

 

 

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