Absentee Voting

In case anyone was wondering, I did vote in the general election. At least I think I voted.

After two months of searching the internet for the right form to ask for a ballot, filling out the wrong forms, filling out the correct form, trying to find out where to mail the form, mailing the form, waiting, waiting, and waiting for the ballot; I got my absentee ballot in the mail last Thursday night, four days before the election. It takes at least ten days for mail to get to the USA. So I had to call FedEx and send it by express delivery for 250RMB (about $36). The ballot was supposed to have gotten to the Election Board on Monday.

There is a "free" service offered through FedEx, to request a ballot, but I would have had to go to Shanghai to send it. Which is a two and a half hour train ride, costing about 100RMB one way. Yes I did contact FedEx about sending for a ballot from their Nanjing office but I had no luck.

All of this would have been easier if I could have just downloaded a ballot off the internet. But it seems that Missouri is still living in the last century and does not provide for something as simple as a PDF ballot form. There are many other states that do, but not the Show Me state.

But I did vote and I am eagerly awaiting election returns.