Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. ~1 Peter 5:7
To say the times we are currently living in are anxiety-producing, is the understatement of this incredibly crazy year. Never have I witnessed so many people stressed, wrung-out and worn out. As we continue to ride out this virus, we are inundated by rules that seem to change daily: don't wear masks/wear masks; lock downs work/lock downs don't work, vote by mail/vote in person.
It's the latter issue that I wish to address in this post. With all the hype and hoopla about mail-in ballots in the news, I'd like to give you two reasons why I think they're bogus, and a poor choice for casting your vote in this most important election.
1. These ballots are issued willy-nilly to whomever appears on the voting rolls. They do not take into consideration that someone might have moved or are deceased; in that case, persons in possession of these ballots have the ability to commit fraud. Think I'm exaggerating? Danny's mother passed away in February of 2019. Guess who received a Covid stimulus check? That's right! Of course, we sent it back to the Feds.
2. Mailing anything these days is fraught with peril, as the post office is already overwhelmed with delivering enormous amounts of products ordered online. How can it possibly handle a sudden tsunami of mail-in ballots? Case in point: Do you recall the post I penned several weeks ago about sending some earrings to our granddaughter, Virginia? Guess what - the package never arrived!!! Yep, lost in the mail. Would you want to be the fate of your vote?
So, this leaves us with two alternatives: voting in person, or using an absentee ballot. I hate to admit it, but my husband, Danny, and I arranged to have absentee ballots sent to us for the first time ever. The huge difference between mail-in and absentee ballots? You must request the latter, and before they even think about sending you one, all your voter registration information is thoroughly vetted. Do I feel secure about mailing mine in? Absolutely not! Once we've filled them out, we will deliver them to a locked box designated for absentee ballots only. And we will do so during early voting to insure that they are there in plenty of time to be counted.
Voting in person, however, is the least anxiety-producing of all the voting methods, hands down. If we had not already ordered the absentee ballots, that's the way I'd prefer to go. I hope many of you feel the same way, as you want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your vote counts.
We may still worry about the future of our great nation, wondering what the outcome of this election will be, but we can know in our heart of hearts, that God hears our cries and our pleas. We can cast all our burdens at His feet, confident that He will always count us in.
God cares for you, for me, without measure.
Amen!
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ReplyDeleteThank you for letting us know about your album, Spyridon. I will be sure to check it out.
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Yes, we have already cast our absentee ballots and hand delivered them directly to the Supervisor of Elections Office. I know the lines are already long in your state for early voting, and you are wise to do the absentee ballot route. But definitely do not mail them! Too much craziness going on these days to trust the mail for something that important! So sorry Virginia never got her earrings. That is sad. I hope you have a wonderful weekend...I am off to my doctor appt. this morning with my new doctor to get the results of lab work and see what else he wants me to do! (annual check up). Praying he doesn't put me on any new meds! I don't like to take pills! LOL. Have a wonderful weekend!
ReplyDeleteI do hope your check up goes smoothly, Pamela, and I'll be praying for you! John and you did the right thing by hand-delivering your ballots. Danny dropped our absentee ballots in a secure box yesterday, and we can check on line to see when our vote is actually counted. Georgia may have long voting lines, which I take as a good sign, but at least we don't have to stand in them this go around. I'm still hoping Virginia's earrings will show up . . .
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In the UK we have postal votes too, as well as voting in person. Also, I believe we have proxy voting; this is when you give authority for another trusted person to go in person and vote on your behalf.
ReplyDeletePraying for God's help and mercy in all the troubles the world is facing these days.
God bless, Martha.
Victor, I'd never heard of proxy voting, and as crazy as things are here as of late, I'm glad that's not part of the mix during this election. Yes, we need God's help and mercy during these trying times, and I'm trusting on Him to deliver!
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ReplyDeleteThanks, Regine!
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Jo & I plan to head to early voting in about 1/2 hour. we are not in the same place as you and Danny. But I'm with you on mail in ballots.
ReplyDeleteGood for you both, Bill! So great to vote in person when you can. Our lines here in GA are astronomical, so I'm glad we opted for the absentee ballots, which Danny delivered to a safe lock-box yesterday.
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We are dropping ours off at the Supervisor of Elections Office today :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent, Martha! They will most certainly be secure there.
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Shaking my head about the 'lost' earrings. I realize postal employees -- like thousands of other essential workers -- are overwhelmed, but I've witnessed this sort of thing for years now. Not a fan of the USPS.
ReplyDeleteYour and Danny's solution is really wise; hopefully, this will help those still on the fence.
I hope it will help those who are on the fence, too, Myra. We did submit our absentee ballots yesterday, and we have a way to check online when they are actually tallied. That's a great comfort!
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Joe and I signed up for absentee ballots years ago. We have been voting that way for a long, long time. We take ours right to the Supervisor of Elections office and either use the secured box out front or take them inside. Joe took our inside and watched her barcode them in so we know ours will be counted. Best way to go, as far as we are concerned!
ReplyDeleteThat's great, Terri! It's so nice to know that you can get immediate verification of your ballot using an absentee. We can check online in GA as to when our vote is actually counted, so that is a comfort. Glad you vote!
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ReplyDeletePraying today.. NZ elections. Non left extreme return to government and pro-life and also pur small ACT elections in Canberra. Elections matter, need much prayer. Praying,plead ing Satan's power will be bound in Jesus' name in todays elections and over in 3rd Nov US elections I pray righg will reign, deceits lies cast out,,covering of blood of Jesus. Also Wld Election 31st Oct. May God have mercy in all things. Only wuth prayer will we get there God bless yiu and your land and irs peoples, anc Aust and NZ.
DeleteHugs Shaz in Oz. X
Definitely praying for election outcomes that honor God and the teachings of Jesus, Shaz! Do keep us updated on this matter of such crucial importance.
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Oh, dear Lord, have mercy on us! I pray and pray and pray and plead with God to have mercy in this election. We are literally battling for the soul of our nation, and it is clearly good versus evil. One side wants to kill babies up to and even after birth, wants to perpetuate what God calles abomination, and wants to turn our nation into a socialistic, communistic, anti-God place to live. The other side is fighting to end the murder of innocent babies, proudly exalts JESUS CHRIST in hbis campaign speech, and is one of the greatest patriotic leaders I have ever personally witnessed. We are, by God's grace and Lord willing, voting in person. I would not trust it any other way. There is just far too much at stake, and I shudder to think what will happen if God chooses not to have mercy on us.
ReplyDeleteYes, Cheryl, I'm praying daily that God has mercy on this election. There is not a doubt in my mind that we are voting to protect our American way of life and our founding principles. The left neither honors life nor religion, and their agenda should frighten everyone. May God bless us!
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WE voted absentee and hand delivered them to the election board. Felt this is of utmost importance this year - our country is in bad shape.
ReplyDeleteOur country is in bad shape, Jean. I feel we are in a battle for the soul of America; that's one fight we cannot afford to lose!
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Martha, you speak much truth in this post. This election is so important and the voting process is full of challenges this year. I do plan to vote, most likely via the absentee process, which I've used before.
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As we've discussed, Kim, absentee voting is completely safe and secure as long as you can somehow hand-deliver the ballot to a lock box or to an official voting site. It can be done correctly, and our vote will count!
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Martha, what happened to me was that I requested a mail in ballot and received one but strangely, as it had Republican on outside, the inside envelopes were already sealed shut so I could not put ballot in securely. I ended up going in person, and although I had to wait 2 hours at least I securely got my vote in. I do not trust the mail in process and it has been prophesied that there will be an issue with the Supreme Court over the election regarding this. Check out a vital video. Go to Destinyimage.com and look for the video with Kevin Zadai and Sid Roth where it has “Urgent prophetic update- must watch. It will take you to YouTube where you can 2x the speed on top right 3 dots so only takes 15 minutes to view, I hope this will somewhat bring clarity and relief in some measures. God does have the last word and my guess is that, because Trump will win by a landslide that the Democrats will delay revealing more ballots that came in taking it to Supreme Court. They can never lose gracefully can they?!??
ReplyDeleteThey never can lose gracefully, Valerie, that's for sure, and it's such a shame. I will try to check out the video you've recommended later today. And I'm so glad you were able to vote securely, even though you had to wait a while. Good for you for sticking it out!
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We will be voting in person and praying a lot!
ReplyDeleteAmen, Annie, I hear you!
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May God help us. There is so much at stake right now!
ReplyDeleteYes, Barbara, you are so right about that! It is between preserving the American ideals of freedom and liberty against those who seek to destroy our God-given rights. We know that Jesus has won the victory, but that doesn't exempt us from fighting these battles in the here and now. His followers need to stay strong and steady!
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Amen! Early voting is open here in TX; and from what I've heard there's almost zero wait to cast your vote. If folks are afraid to venture out, then request an absentee ballot, but let's not depend on a long-bankrupt, inept, poorly managed government entity to deliver a flawless performance. Not when a two-day priority mail package takes 10 days to arrive, and three out of nine have been lost in the past year.
ReplyDeleteYou've said a mouthful here, J. D.! Like you, I have had a growing distrust for the reliability of the post office. It's such a shame to have to feel that way, especially when we have depended upon their services for so long, and I do like to send notes via mail to my granddaughter, Virginia. Yes, early voting is open and going full steam in Georgia, too. Love hearing about the record-breaking turn-out!
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ReplyDeleteThank you, Regine!
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ReplyDeleteWonderful post.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Nells!
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I am going to drop my ballot off at a drop box in our county. Each vote does count. Thank you for reminding us - VOTE!!!
ReplyDeleteAmen, Laurie! All of our votes count, and I'm so happy to report that our absentee ballots here in GA have been officially acknowledged. Bring on the election!
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I know that the vote by mail method is new in some locations, but Oregon has been using it for local elections since the 80s and for national/presidential elections since 2000. It is very successful and there have been no issues of fraud or mismanagement. So I'm confident that my mailed in vote will be counted just fine. I know that different states have different challenges, but it is possible to have a mail in system that is safe and efficient.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your reassuring words about mail-in ballots, Galen. I think the key in your state is that you all have been doing this for a long time, so the kinks have been worked out. Many states don't have a history of dealing with these sorts of ballots, so there could be lots of confusion and possible fraud. If you system is tried and true, go for it!
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