>> WITH CONCERNS ABOUT VOTE BY MAIL AND THE ABILITY OF THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE DAY HANDLE
WHAT’S EXPECTED TO BE HISTORIC
NUMBERS OF MAIL IN BALLOTS FOR
THE
NOVEMBER ELECTION.
>> THE NEWS 4 JAX I TEAM IS
PUTTING THE POSTAL SERVICE TO
THE TEST OUR INVESTIGATIVE TEAM
SPENT 4 WEEKS PERFORMING
EXPERIMENT THAT IS EXPOSING
SOME FLAWS WITHIN THE POSTAL
SYSTEM. AN INVESTIGATOR TARIK
MINOR JOINS US
NOW WITH WHAT HE FOUND OUT
ABOUT MAIL DELIVERY TIME AND
THE POSSIBILITY OF YOUR BALLOT
BEING DAMAGED IN TRANSIT ALL
RIGHT WELL IN THINK ABOUT WHAT
IF YOUR BALLOT THAT YOU PUT IN
YOUR MAILBOX ARRIVED AT THE
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS OFFICE
LIKE THIS
THIS ONE WAS WET. IT WAS OPENED
IT WAS DAMAGED AND POTENTIALLY
UNREADABLE SAME THING WITH
THIS ONE WHICH ARE BOTH STILL
BE COUNTED. SO WE WENT INTO
THIS EXPERIMENT TESTING MAIL
DELIVERY TIMES WHICH TO THE
POST OFFICE’S CREDIT IS VERY
GOOD. THE SURPRISING PART OF
OUR RESULTS WAS JUST HOW OFTEN
MAIL ARRIVES AND WE’RE SHAPE.
THEN IT WAS SENT.
>>TARIK MINOR: FOR SOME AMERICANS IT MAY VERY WELL BE THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF
MAIL THEY’LL PUT IN THE MAILBOX
THIS ENTIRE YEAR, THEIR
2020 BALLOT. CAREFULLY FILLED
OUT AND INTERESTED TO THE
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE.
>> I’M GOING TO PUT MY 3RD OWN
GOAL IN THE APP
FOR YOU.
>>TARIK MINOR: FOR THE PAST 4
WEEKS, THE NEWS 4 JAX I TEAM
HAS BEEN WORKING TO FIND OUT IF
YOU THE VOTER CAN TRUST WHAT
HAPPENS NEXT. WE’RE SIMULATING THE ELECTION PROCESS AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE. THIS IS A
SAMPLE BALLOT. FROM THE PRIMARY
ELECTION AND WE’RE GOING TO DO
IS REPLACE THAT WITH THE PIECE
OF PAPER WHILE STUFFING THE
BALLOTS WE MADE SURE ALL 96 OF
OUR MOCK BALLOTS WERE SIMILAR
TO THE SIZE AND WEIGHT OF YOUR
MAIL
IN BALLOT. ADDING AN EXTRA
SHEET OF PAPER TO RESEMBLE THE
PRIVACY SLEEP. WE MAILED THEM FROM LOCATIONS ACROSS THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE. SOME WERE
MAILED FROM BLUE
COLLECTION BOXES. OTHERS MALE
FROM HOMES, WE SENT A TOTAL OF
12 OBAMA LOPES FROM EACH
LOCATION OVER A FOUR-WEEK
PERIOD TO OUR CHANNEL 4 NEWS
ROOM ON THE SOUTH BANK OF THE
96 MOCK BALLOTS, THE
ITEAM MAILED 100% OF THEM
ARRIVED AT THEIR DESTINATION
OVER HALF OF THEM 51 ARRIVED
THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY, 35
ARRIVED WITHIN 2 BUSINESS DAYS.
ANOTHER 8 LETTERS TOOK 3 TO 4
BUSINESS DAYS TO ARRIVE AND
ONE LETTER MAILED FROM THIS
DUNN AVENUE BLUE MAILBOX TOOK 6
BUSINESS DAYS TO ARRIVE.
THAT’S NOT COUNTING. THE 2
WEEKENDS AND LABOR DAY IN
BETWEEN THE TIME IT WAS SENT.
AND WE
DURING OUR EXPERIMENT FOR THE
LETTERS MAILED FROM THIS
COLLECTION BOX ARRIVED IN OUR
NEWSROOM WITH SOME DAMAGE ALONG
WITH 2 OTHER LETTERS MAILED
FROM OTHER LOCATIONS
SO 6 OF THE 96 LETTERS ARRIVE
WITH DAMAGE DONE TO BELOW SOME
WET IN PLASTIC BAGS. OTHERS
APPEARED TO BE OPENED IN TORN.
WE WONDERED IF THE CONDITION OF
THE MALE WAS UNIQUE TO OUR
EXPERIMENT DUVAL COUNTY
ELECTIONS SUPERVISOR MIKE HOGAN
SAYS NO.
SAYS NO. >> IT DOES HAPPEN IN I WOULD SAY IT’S NOT RARE, BUT IT’S NOT
COMMON AND WE WOULD BE NOWHERE
NEAR EVEN A ONE PERCENT I WOULD
IF I WERE
TO GUESS YOU ALWAYS REMEMBER
WHEN YOU WHEN YOU SEE HIM IN
PLASTIC BAG AND HAS OUTSPENT
OR NOT.
>>TARIK MINOR: ELECTIONS
OFFICIALS SHOWED US WHAT WAS
LEFT OF THIS MANGLED BALLOTS
THAT ARRIVE FOR THE AUGUST
PRIMARY, SAY WIND DAMAGE TO THE
MALE OCCURS ELECTION WORKERS SIMPLY TRY THEIR BEST TO ATTEMPT TO COUNT THAT VOTE IF
THEY COME IN
WITH THAT.
>> TYPICALLY THE BLACK INK ON
THE MARKINGS IS GOING TO
BE FINE. BUT GETTING IT OUT THE
ON THE LOW AND PROCESSING IT IS
A LITTLE
BIT DIFFICULT. SO WE’LL LET IT
DRY WILL SET IT ON A TABLE IN A
DRY OUT AND THEN.
PAINSTAKINGLY ALMOST
LIKE A SURGEON MAKE SURE THAT
WE DON’T CARE ANYTHING AS WE
TRY TO GET THAT BALANCE OUT
ON BOARD.
>>TARIK MINOR: HOGAN SAYS HE
THINKS THE INITIAL DAMAGE TO
THE MALE USUALLY OCCURS IN THE
OWNERS MAILBOX SAYING
HISTORICALLY TROPICAL STORMS
AND HEAVY RAINS HAVE LED TO
THEIR OFFICE RECEIVING HIGHER
THAN USUAL AMOUNTS OF
DAMAGE MAIL. IF YOU’RE BALLOTS
DAMAGED HOGAN SAYS HIS OFFICE
WILL NOT CONTACT THE VOTER.
INSTEAD IT’S UP TO THE VOTER TO
TRACK THEIR BALLOT TO MAKE SURE
IT GETS FROM POINT A TO POINT
B.
>> NO IT’S NOT SOMETHING THAT
WE WOULD NORMALLY DO.
IT’S AGAIN NUMBER ONE IS THAT
VERY INFREQUENT. WE’VE COME
PROCESS WHAT WE CAN.
>> THE VOTERS WE SPOKE WITH
HER TORN ON WHETHER THEY TRUST
USPS WITH THEIR BALLOTS.
>> NOW THE VOTING PERSON WHY.
I FEEL LIKE ASKED MY I’LL BE
ABLE TO SEE WHAT I’M GONE AS
WELL AS TO MY VOTE COUNTS.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO DO IT IN
PERSON.
>> ABSOLUTELY I BELIEVE THAT
THEY CAN HANDLE THIS AND
THEY’VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A
LONG LONG TIME. IT’S NOT
ANYTHING NEW.
>> THEY HAVE A SYSTEM THEY CAN
DO IT.
>>TARIK MINOR: SO THE
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS SAYS IF
YOU ARE MAILING YOUR BALLOT IN
FLORIDA. HE RECOMMENDS THAT YOU
GET MAILED AS SOON AS YOU CAN
THAT MEANS WHAT YOU GET IT
TURN AROUND FILL IT OUT AND
THEN MAIL IT REMEMBER AND
MUST BE AND THE SUPERVISOR OF
ELECTIONS OFFICE IN YOUR COUNTY
BY 07:00PM ON ELECTION DAY IN
ORDER TO BE
COUNT IT.
>> IT’S HARD TO WE KNOW ABOUT
THE THE MOST DECORATED COMBO OF
THE YOU JUST SAW DO WE KNOW HOW
IT GOT TORN UP WELL, WE DON’T KNOW FOR SURE, BUT THE PRESIDENT OF THE FLORIDA
ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS
TELLS US THAT DEPENDING ON THE
CONDITION OF THOSE
BLUE MAILBOXES IT’S OFTEN TIMES
THAT THOSE
MAILBOXES ARE ARE UNSEALED THAT
HINGED ORKIN CAN GROW OLD
UNREST OVER TIME AND SOMETIMES
THE MAIL INSIDE IT’S WET SO
THAT IS LIKELY WHAT HAPPENED IN
THIS CASE, ACCORDING
TO THE PROFESSIONALS THERE WE
ALSO DID ASK THE UNITED STATES
POSTAL SERVICE TO LET US GO
BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THEM TO
SEE HOW THEY’RE PROCESSING ALL
THIS MAIL RIGHT BEFORE THE
ELECTION AND THEY DID DENY
OUR REQUESTS.
>>MARY BAER: THIS FLORIDA, LOTS
OF RAIN THAT’S FOR SURE START
THANK YOU. AND THERE ARE
SEVERAL WAYS YOU CAN TURN IN
YOUR VOTE BY MAIL BALLOT.
YOU CAN MAIL IT USING THE U.S.
POSTAL SERVICE. YOU CAN DROP IT OFF NOW WITH YOUR SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS OFFICE IN THE COUNTY
WHERE
YOU LIVE ONCE EARLY VOTING
BEGINS YOU CAN DROP YOUR BALLOT
AT AN EARLY VOTING SITE DURING
VOTING HOURS. AND THIS IS
ALSO IMPORTANT IF YOU WAIT
UNTIL ELECTION DAY WHICH IS
NOVEMBER 3RD SUPERVISOR OF
ELECTIONS, MIKE HOGAN SAYS YOU
CAN NOT DROP OFF YOUR BALLOT
THAT DAY YOU CAN VOTE IN PERSON
AT YOUR
ASSIGNED PRECINCT, BUT YOU WILL
NOT BE ABLE TO DROP OFF VOTE BY
MAIL BALLOTS ON THE DAY OF
THE ELECTION.
>> AS START MENTIONING HIS
INVESTIGATION, IT’S UP TO
VOTERS TO CONFIRM THEIR MAIL IN
BALLOTS GET COUNTED.
COMING UP TOMORROW, WE TAKE YOU
STEP-BY-STEP THROUGH THE
PROCESS OF TRACKING YOUR BALLOT