(Your &) Our Votes Will Count

First, quick update on Ella's pox - she's fast on the mend. Ella still her spots, but half of them are all but faded away. The other half or so have already blistered over and drying up. [Sorry if that grosses you out a bit.]

This election is exciting for many and it's no different for us, because it's Maylia's first since getting her US citizenship in 2006.

And not without a little hair-raising drama mixed in.
Late in the summer, Jeff found an online website (mistake by hindsight) to verify both he and Maylia are still registered NH voters. Jeff got anxious to preempt any issues after the then budding stories of voter deregistration, purging, suppression, disenfranchising, caging, whatever they call it today. Indeed, still registered. Confidence restored.

One last issue - how to know when/if the vote gets there? Unlike some states, New Hampshire doesn't allow faxing or e-mailing a ballot, only by post. We have so little confidence in mail, it's not funny. Then Jeff found out about "Express Your Vote," a partnership between FedEx and the Overseas Vote Foundation for expats to vote reliably. Reliable delivery for a super cheap cost (~$23 per ballot). Confidence restored further.

Jeff read and read the ballot instructions, following them to the letter. Once in FedEx's hands, we tracked online our two ballots to Manchester's Office of the City Clerk. Delivered well before end of October (though it took about 10 days longer then the expected 1-day delivery, but that's okay). Confidence restored even further.

October 21st, we hear from the Manchester Office of the City Clerk: "We have received you and your wife's absentee ballots. Unfortunately, we cannot accept them because you are not registered voters here in Manchester. However, you can register and vote by following these procedures..." Remember that "mistake by hindsight" earlier? Confidence shattered, 'wicked badly.'

Still, with fast action by a lady named Sally, we got our vote in with plenty of time to spare. Kudos goes to Sally F. at One City Hall Plaza, whose e-mail signature labels her an "Archivist/Records Management Officer" but we feel she wears a cape and a big "S" on her chest. Sally understood the time pressure and permitted a couple faxes to re-register ourselves with Manchester.

Lastly, the most assuring words came from Manchester's election supervisor: "we will send you absentee ballots as soon as we receive your fax. If these ballots are not received by November 4th, then we will use the ballots you have sent already." Faxes signed, sealed, sent; votes delivered. Confidence restored.

Whew. Just a bit of drama; no added expense or hassle, only an uneasy feeling for a day or two. At least we didn't find ourselves having to fly back as this couple did. (And can't say we would.)