I haven’t decided yet how to vote. (I’ve decided WHO to vote for, but not what voting mechanism to utilize.) I ordered an absentee ballot, which is NC’s version of vote-by-mail. These ballots are going to be mailed out next week. But I think I’ll hold onto it for a while to see what the voting in person situation is like. NC has two weeks of early voting, so that is a possibility. In the past I’ve stood in longer lines when I voted early than when I voted on the actual Election Day. My polling place at the Parkwood Fire Department is tiny though. I’m not sure I want to risk that.

Trump said something really stupid in an appearance in Wilmington today. I think the way it is being reported is not quite what he said (gosh, I hate to defend Trump). What he recommended was that people  vote by mail, and then use the tracking system to see if their vote has been processed. If it isn’t clear, he encouraged them to vote again in person to be sure their vote gets through. The director of the State Board of Elections quickly pointed out that not only is voting twice a felony in NC, but enccouraging people to vote twice is as well. (I actually think the felony is when you do so “for fradulent purposes,” and I’m not sure that applies here.) At any rate, I don’t think Trump’s reasoning is making sure people’s votes count. What he is trying to do is throw the election in disarray. The less people trust the absentee voting process, the easier it will be for him to attempt to have all the absentee votes thrown out.

I’m guessing the next two months are going to be pretty bad.