Letter to the editor: Technicalities of voting

I would like to point out some facts about the conduct of the election.

First, you can no longer vote a straight-party ticket by marking that option. The option was eliminated in the new election law. If you want to vote for all the candidates of your party, you must vote for each individual on the ballot.

Next: the problem of “naked ballots” for voters who chose the mail-in option. They occur when someone fails to follow the voting instructions exactly. The voter must put the completed ballot in the smaller secrecy envelope, which has only the words “Official Election Ballot” printed on it. Then the voter places that envelope in the larger envelope for mailing. The mailing envelope has a designated spot on the back for the voter’s signature, printed name and address, plus date. Thus, that ballot is not a secret ballot when it arrives. In the vote-counting process, the outer envelope is separated from the smaller envelope. The system is designed to protect the secrecy of your vote. I know this from my many years as a judge of election and dealing with absentee ballots.

So please, if you are still planning to submit a mail-in vote, make sure your ballot is in the smaller secrecy envelope. Otherwise, it will not be counted, according to a recent state Supreme Court decision. This is not some scheme to make your vote not count; it is to protect the secrecy of your vote.

Phil Davis

Mt. Pleasant

Editor’s note: At present, ballots mailed before 8 p.m. Nov. 3 will be accepted by elections offices if they arrive there before Nov. 6 at 5 p.m., but court challenges may change that policy. Voters can hand-deliver their mail-in ballots at county election offices until 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. Or, a voter with a mail-in ballot can bring the ballot and all envelopes to their polling location on Tuesday, have the ballot officially voided and vote in person.