How to Vote Successfully in the Primary with an Absentee Ballot

It is that time again. If you need an absentee ballot you should call your supervisor of your elections and request one at the opening of business tomorrow. As of last Thursday I received my primary absentee ballot. As a Floridian Republican I have to vote in the primary in order to vote in the general election.

I was sitting next to an elderly person who needed assistance so I decided I probably need to write a hub to walk everyone through filling out an absentee ballot and voting in the primary if they are Republican.

Here are the basics to make your primary vote count so you can vote in the general election.

1. Open your ballot carefully as you do not wish to tear your envelope. If you tear your envelope you have to obtain another from the supervisor of elections.

2. In Florida we can use a blue or black pen to fill out our ballots. So make certain you are using the right writing utensil.

3. Read the instructions carefully and follow them precisely.

4. Pick only one candidate unless otherwise specified. It is a primary and you are trying to reduce the number of Republicans running for office.

5. Upon completing your ballot place it in the special envelope and then sign and date the envelope across the flap.

6. Stamp the envelope. This is the first time I remember having to actually pay for the postage for an absentee ballot but I did.

7. And finally remember to mail it.

8. I follow up with a telephone call to make certain the girls at the election office received my ballot. They are use to this and I imagine the social appropriateness of this varies from district to district.

There are other tips which I do which are not necessary but I still do them as a precaution. I never reregister to vote before an election. It is a nasty trick to tell someone they aren’t registered to vote and then have them fill out another registration form which eliminates them from voting in the primary.

I also make a copy of my ballot. The hanging chad had no greater than on Floridians. I always copy my absentee ballot. If it is lost then I have a copy.

It is only a primary vote but critical for Republicans to participate in if they wish to vote in the general election. The worst thing that could happen to this country at this time is to have a low voter turn out and an incredibly unpopular president. It is a recipe for disaster in the United States of America.

My research is always complete before the election and well in advance. As of this moment I know who I am voting for president unless one or the other candidate blows it. Barack Obama came close last week with all of those negative attack ads. But JEB showing up on the ticket with Romney might well guarantee President Obama another term. I have to take this election one day at a time. With each day our nation is confronted with increasingly bad news and juvenile responses out of Washington DC as to how to maintain their fleeting grasp on money and power.

Right now I know who I am voting for and it will be the candidate who acts the least mature with myopic vision for this country which will lose the election. We need positive, innovative, visionary who can lead our country and neither candidate has made a compelling argument they fit the bill.

Florida is one of the few states who actually have the absentee ballot system done to a Science.

I hope this has helped you participate in the Republican primary and make your voice heard now so you can participate in the general election in the United States of America in November.