Standard Mischief

Any valid voter in Maryland can request one, and after the mess at the polling station 4 years ago, I’ve decided that I’m just not available to get there and wait this year.

First odd thing: WTOP news a week ago said (roughly) that “tonight was the last night for absentee ballots in Maryland, but only if you fax them in by midnight”. It turns out that you can’t at all fax them in, they must be mailed. It also turns out that their deadline is wrong. They can have a postmark as late as November 4th.

Of course, later in the week WTOP had a story about a fake election board mailing that claimed that Democrats were to go to the polling stations on Nov 5.

Update: I think WTOP was talking about requesting an absentee ballot, not sending it in. The deadline was indeed last Wednesday and you could fax the request in. Still, I have two good ears and that’s not what they said. It’s possible the announcer dude misread without malice.

Second odd thing: must be filled in with a #2 pencil. While they say no erasures are allowed, I’d feel much better if I could use ink to stain the paper permanently.

Here’s a timely xkcd strip. I’m too lazy to embed it.

Of the 16 spots to use the pencil on the ballot, three are Judges for continuation in office, one is for the school board at large (running unopposed, and with no chance of write-in), Five are permission to borrow money (always NO unless they have made their case in advance), and one to raise taxes on telecommunications services, for the children (Board of Education).

We’re going from a current 8% to 11% tax if this one passes. I think that’s on top of the $3 tax per telephone line per month we are already paying.

Hello idiots in Annapolis: we cannot tax our way out of a recession. That is all.