FOR
FOR ANYONE
AND
AND IF
AND IF WE
AND IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ABSENTEE BALLOTS...WHICH WE HAVE
A LOT LATELY...REJECTION
IS THE WORST THING
THAT COULD HAPPEN.
ESPECIALLY IN THIS
ELECTION.
HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF
IDAHOANS ARE GETTING
READY TO VOTE BY MAIL,
MANY FOR THE FIRST
TIME.
ADA COUNTY BEGAN
MAILING OUT THEIR
ABSENTE BALLOTS TODAY.
OTHER COUNTIES WILL BE
DOING THE SAME.
AND AFTER LAST NIGHT'S
DEBATE -- YOU'RE
PROBABLY MORE THAN
READY TO CAST YOUR
VOTE.
AND WE, LIKE YOU, WANT
TO MAKE SURE YOUR VOTE
IS COUNTED.
SO WE WANTED TO
KNOW, WHAT ARE
COMMON REASONS
IDAHO BALLOTS ARE
KICKED OUT?
JOE PARRIS SPOKE WITH
IDAHO ELECTION EXPERTS
ABOUT VOTING PROPERLY
WHEN DOING SO AWAY
FROM A POLLING
PLACE...AND TO FACT
CHECK TWO ELECTION
CLAIMS
CLAIMS WE
CLAIMS WE FOUND ON SOCIAL MEDIA. HEY IDAHO, THOSE
ABSENTEE BALLOTS YOU
REQUESTED SHOULD
ARRIVE SOON.
"WE ARE MAILING OUT
115,000 OF THEM TODAY,
IT'S REALLY THE KICKOFF
TO THE ELECTION THAT
PEOPLE ARE NOW VOTING
AND GETTING THEIR
BALLOTS OVER THE NEXT
FEW DAYS." -MCGRANE
LIKE OTHER TEAMS
AROUND THE STATE, ADA
COUNTY CLERK PHIL
MCGRANE AND HIS
ELECTION STAFF WORKED
FOR WEEKS TO ASSEMBLE
THOUSANDS AND
THOUSANDS OF BALLOTS.
IN ANTICIPATION OF
BALLOTS ARRIVING, WE'VE
SEEN YOUR QUESTIONS
ABOUT HOW TO PROPERLY
CAST AN ABSENTEE VOTE.
YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT
PACKET WILL INCLUDE A
FEW COMPONENTS:
INSTRUCTIONS, THE
BALLOT, A SECRECY
SLEEVE, AND THE RETURN
ENVELOPE. AFTER FILLING
OUT THE BALLOT, FOLLOW
THESE STEPS:
"WHEN THE VOTER IS
RETURNING THEIR BALLOT,
THEY SHOULD STICK IT IN
THE SECRECY SLEEVE AND
THEN THEY CAN RETURN
THE BALLOT IN THE
ENVELOPE. HERE IN ADA
COUNTY THERE IS
ALREADY PREPAID
POSTAGE ON THOSE
RETURN ENVELOPES BUT
BEFORE PUTTING A
BALLOT IN THE MAIL OR IN
ONE OF OUR DROP BOXES,
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
THAT THE VOTER SIGNS
THE AFFIDAVIT ON THE
BACK. THAT IS THE PART
WHERE THE SIGNATURE
VERIFICATION COMES IN."
MCGRANE SAID.
DURING THE
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
TUESDAY NIGHT, THERE
WAS A CONVERSATION
ABOUT ABSENTEE BALLOTS
BEING REJECTED. DEPUTY
SECRETARY OF STATE
CHAD HOUCK SAYS IN
IDAHO THAT HAPPENS
FOR TWO MAIN REASONS.
"THE FIRST AND
FOREMOST, THE ONE THAT
HAPPENS MORE THAN
NOT, IS THAT THE ELECTOR
SIMPLY FORGETS TO SIGN
THE OUTER ENVELOPE
ALTOGETHER AND IN
THOSE CASES DEPENDING
ON HOW EARLY THEY GET
THOSE BACK TO THE
CLERK'S
CLERK'S OFFICE AT THE COUNTY, THE CLERK WILL OFTEN HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO GET A
HOLD OF THAT VOTER
EITHER BY UTILIZING THEIR
PHONE NUMBER IF THEY
HAVE IT ON FILE OR BY
WRITING A LETTER TO
THAT ELECTOR." - HOUCK
THE OTHER MAJOR
REASON BALLOTS ARE
FLAGGED:
"NUMBER TWO, VERY
CLOSELY RELATED, IS NOT
FOLLOWING THE CORRECT
PROCEDURE. BY CORRECT
PROCEDURE I MEAN, ONE
BALLOT IN ONE SECRECY
ENVELOPE, INSIDE ONE
RETURN ENVELOPE,
SEALED AND SIGNED BY
THE VOTER WHO APPEARS
ON THE OUTSIDE OF THAT
ENVELOPE." - HOUCK
MISTAKES CAN OFTEN BE
ATTRIBUTED TO BALLOT
MIX UPS AT HOME.
"HUSBANDS AND WIVES
FOR EXAMPLE WHERE THE
ENVELOPE GETS
TRANSFERRED BETWEEN
TRANSFERRED BETWEEN
THE
THE TWO
THE TWO AND MAYBE THE HUSBAND SIGNS THE WIFE'S ENVELOPE AND
RETURNS HIS BALLOT IN IT
OR THE WIFE SIGNS THE
HUSBANDS BALLOT AND
RETURNS IT."
"WE WON'T BE ABLE TO
COUNT THAT BALLOT, WE
WILL TRY AND REACH OUT
TO THE VOTER TO
CORRECT IT." -MCGRANE
MISTAKES NEED TO BE
CORRECTED BY ELECTION
DAY.
"IT'S GOT TO BE RESOLVED
AND PROPERLY
FORMATTED BY THE TIME
IT COMES IN AT 8PM." -
HOUCK
A SOCIAL MEDIA POST
ALSO CAUGHT THE
ATTENTION OF THE 208
TEAM, THE AUTHOR
EXPLAINS HOW THEY GOT
THEIR BALLOT VIA EMAIL,
ANOTHER RESPONDED
WARNING IT COULD BE A
SCAM. HOUCK EXPLAINS
THAT YES IN A VERY
SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCE,
AN IDAHO VOTER COULD
HAVE THEIR BALLOT
EMAILED.
"RECEIVING A BALLOT BY
EMAIL IS AN EXCLUSIVE
OPTION ONLY FOR THOSE
UNDER THE UOCAVA, OR
THE UNIFORMED
THE UNIFORMED
OVERSEAS
OVERSEAS CITIZENS ABSENTEE VOTING ACT. UOCAVA VOTERS, MILITARY
OR OVERSEAS CITIZENS,
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY
TO HAVE THEIR BALLOT
DELIVERED BY EMAIL. THEY
STILL HAVE TO PRINT OUT
A SECRECY SLEEVE AND
THEY PRINT OUT ALL THE
PIECES OF THE PACKAGE
THAT COME BY EMAIL AND
THEY RETURN IT IN A
TRADITIONAL MANNER." -
HOUCK
UOCAVA VOTERS MOSTLY
RECEIVE A BALLOT
THROUGH THE MAIL, BUT
IN CERTAIN AREAS OF THE
WORLD GETTING THAT
BALLOT IS TOUGH, EMAIL
IS EASIER.
ANOTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
POST THAT CAUGHT OUR
ATTENTION, A CLAIM THAT
PEOPLE WERE COMING
INTO ADA COUNTY FROM
SEATTLE TO STAFF THE
POLLS ON ELECTION DAY.
CLERK MCGRANE IS THAT
TRUE?
"ABSOLUTELY NOT, ALL
POLL WORKERS HERE ARE
LOCAL PEOPLE." -
MCGRANE
MCGRANE EXPLAINS
PEOPLE FROM SEATTLE
DID VOLUNTEER TO COME
HELP, BUT.
"WE ARE NOT ACTUALLY
USING ANY OF THOSE
PEOPLE. WE HAVE WAY
MORE THAN ENOUGH
POLL WORKERS HERE IN
ADA COUNTY LOCALLY
WHO'VE BEEN WILLING TO
STEP UP AND SERVE THAT
DAY." -MCGRANE
DAY." -MCGRANE
YOU
YOU MENTIONED POLL WORKERS, WHAT DOES STAFFING LOOK LIKE IN
OUR AREA? LOOK LIKE
ENOUGH
ENOUGH FOR ELECTION DAY?
DAY?