Voters express concerns, frustration over mail-in voting process

By Ian Zhao

Voters at the Xfinity Center polling station on Election Day expressed concerns about counting mail-in ballots. 

Some voters came to the polling station to avoid the possible complications of mail-in voting, while others said they have full confidence in the process. 

Alex Spadacenta, a senior elementary education major who lives out of state, was frustrated by the mail-in voting process and said she would recommend in-person voting whenever possible. 

“It’s really concerning,” said Spadacenta, “I sent my ballot three weeks ago, and it still hasn’t been received […] I’ve called the town clerk’s office twice now. They said if they receive it by tonight then it will count or depending on the laws in Connecticut.” Spadacenta said that after she did everything she could, it’s now unfortunately out of her hands. 

Darrell Morrison chose to vote in-person because he said he thinks the process is easier, although he has full confidence in the mail-in voting process.

“I support anything that can increase voting whether that is mail-in, or the absentee or early voting,” Morrison said. “I think everybody should have the opportunity to vote and take advantage of that opportunity.”

Morrison, who was born and raised in Washington, D.C. and now lives in Maryland, said he voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris because he believes their policies will benefit the nation as a whole.

“I think their policies make more sense to me as an American citizen living in this country,” Morrison said. “[What] the administration [has] done for the past four years […] really didn’t benefit the American public.”

Mojhgan Haghnegahdar, a research scholar at the UMD and a resident of Prince George’s County, could not request an absentee ballot because she had not updated her state ID. Haghnegahdar said many of her friends were volunteering at polling stations, so she was not worried about ballots not being counted.

“What[’s] at stake in this election is the value we believe in […] This is not the America we know and believe in […] America is a role model for other countries,” said Haghnegahdar.