Everyone has kind of laughed it off but there’s actually now an official investigation by multiple organizations into why my US election ballot hasn’t been released from US customs in a month without any explanation.
My Illinois vote doesn’t matter much but someone needs to know.
@hacks4pancakes it matters enough to block it
@ChickenPwny I’m not sure there’s that much thought into me individually
@hacks4pancakes you and the tens of thousands of others
@ChickenPwny that’s the more significant concern
@ChickenPwny @hacks4pancakes If you're wanting to vote, but have left US territory, then doesn't that give just a wee hint on how you see the world and might vote?
I'm not eligible to vote in NZ's upcoming election (haven't been back within timeframe) but in past elections it was so easy. Download PDF voting paper, complete it, upload a scan/photo. On polling day the uploads are printed out and counted along with the postal votes. Much easier than heading into local state election authority and doing in person overseas vote.
@vk4tdi "Doesn't that give just a wee hint on how you see the world and might vote?" - absolutely. This is why targeting postal votes is a sure bet for administrations that know they won't be favoured. @ChickenPwny @hacks4pancakes
@hacks4pancakes Every vote matters.
@hacks4pancakes You found organizations who will investigate? I haven't been able to vote since moving abroad, every election for a different reason. "Lost" ballots, ballot envelope arrives without a ballot form, 'corrupted' PDF ballot, ballot challenged when it arrived by mail, registration mysteriously purged and then pre-registration not processed until after the deadline for that election in spite of being made in good time. Years and years of this shit. Who did you find who gives a shit?
@Linza voterprotection@votefromabroad.org will contact everyone and their uncle to open cases very fast
@hacks4pancakes Thanks!
@Linza I’m shocked too. A lot of volunteers are working incredibly hard. At least ten people have been helping and investigating.
@hacks4pancakes @Linza I wonder if this is the kind of thing my retired mother (who has claimed there's nothing she can do about our untenable political situation) can get involved with.
@hacks4pancakes @Linza this is super helpful. My ballot has been stuck in Chicago customs for a week..
@hacks4pancakes My daughter has had her ballots “lost” twice while attending uni in another state.
@christopherbrown @hacks4pancakes just flew.my oldest home last weekend to vote. The previous ballots are sent out but have never made it there
@ATLeagle @hacks4pancakes We have considered this but HI to TX is a bit much for us. 😮💨
@christopherbrown @hacks4pancakes ya. Thats far. We used miles and picked horrible times to keep it cheap
@hacks4pancakes that's fucked up
@hacks4pancakes De Oppresso Liber
Oct 23, 2026, 9:48 PM@hacks4pancakes
The fuck?
Well that's some fucking bullshit right there.
Oct 23, 2026, 10:26 PM@hacks4pancakes shout out to the state of Nevada! voted online last week no issues. got an email two days later the county has my absentee ballot :)
@hacks4pancakes I am relieved that at least there is some investigation.
I wonder how many other voters are affected.
@hacks4pancakes if the #USA was a #demicracy, it would protect it's #elections like #Germany…
@hacks4pancakes Last time I did send letter to United States. It was in custom for about three or four days. It was just pictures that I was giving a person in United States. This sounds very intentional what the customs are doing with your vote. I doubt that this is just happening to you.
@jonfr600 Agreed on all counts.
Oct 24, 2026, 4:22 AM@hacks4pancakes For anyone abroad who hasn't gotten their paper ballot! If you filed a Federal Postcard Application (and are an "overseas voter" instead of a regular "absentee voter" -- which is the same category as someone who's going on vacation in Bali on election day) then you can file a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB). See https://www.votefromabroad.org/faqs/fwab-what-is-backup-ballot
If your ballot arrives and you send it in by the deadline, then they will throw away the FWAB. If your regular ballot doesn't arrive in time, they will count the FWAB.
Please repost!
Also, VoteFromAbroad.org will help you regardless of what your voting question (or partisanship) is! See https://www.votefromabroad.org/faqs
@hacks4pancakes
Hey I think I had a similar thing happen to me! Said it was sent by "STATE-MAIL" over a month ago but I never received it. They want me to use an electronic ballot. I don't really trust it, but there is little chance of the physical ballot showing up in time to be sent back so I don't have much of a choice. How did you confirm it was held by customs?
@nikiforovas_revenge I sent it with tracking and delivery confirmation
@hacks4pancakes I had something like this with my postal vote for the UK 2019 general election. It was released from customs quite quickly but then was passed back and forth between the national sorting hub and the Coventry depot three times. I had to raise hell and high water to get it delivered, and while I was told it was received and counted, who ever really knows?
(Glad I posted it with tracking, or not only would I not know but I very much doubt it would have reached its destination!)
@hacks4pancakes I can’t really say I’m surprised that it’s being held up by customs, if it was a republican-lead state it would likely sail right through without any issues.