Did You Vote Yet?

What are you waiting for?

In the meantime, someone or many someones are trying to post multiple comments about how "preliminary vote totals" show an overwhelming YES vote taking place.

Bullshit. If you've attended and observed multiple contract votes, it goes something like this:

• You vote, you seal your vote in a Secrecy Envelope, you mail it in the included envelope. You do not mark the either envelope or deface it in any way - this may void your ballot.
• The ballots are collected at a PO Box or a firm that specializes in elections. They are held there until the counting day.
• In recent years, the Lodge has allowed in-person voting the morning of the count. There is a process in place to ensure you aren't able to double vote - probably scanning the bar codes on the secrecy envelopes (hence the "don't mark anything" rule).
• The company running the election brings the ballots and machines to the Hall. The envelopes are counted and oriented. A machine counts and slices the tops of the envelopes and the secrecy ballots are extracted and scanned. Hopefully, this eliminates the ineligible voters (sergeants, retirees, etc). These envelopes are then sliced open by machine, the ballots are stacked and counted by machine in view of any interested parties.

The whole process takes a few hours. No pizza is provided but sometimes the bar is open for refreshments. It's all rather boring.

PLEASE NOTE: This may not be the exact process - thing have progressed since we observed our first vote counting - modern methods and all that. But it's close enough to get the idea.