They say it will be counted eventually... But not today. The signature on my ballot (envelope) doesn't match the signature that the King County Elections office (in Washington State) has on file. That file dates back to 1978, the year I registered to vote.
My signature has changed over the years, to be sure. But I adopted the signature I currently use a good ten years ago, if not more. Previous elections officials could see the continuity between the current version and the one they had on file. But not this year. This year, the signature that is more or less identical to the one that they accepted in 2010, 2008, 2004, and probably even 2000, won't cut the mustard. So when the King County Elections office begins posting results, my vote won't be a part of that initial tabulation.
And there is nothing I can do to expedite the remedy. The elections office told me they would send me a letter requesting a new signature. Once I provide the updated mark, they will be able to match that signature to the one on the ballot, and my ballot will be counted. But in the meantime, it's the contested ballot bin for me. I asked if I could speed up the process by coming down to the elections office to provide an updated signature file in person. They said "no"! (To be clear, they told my I could fill out a new signature card in person, but my ballot wouldn't be counted any sooner than it will be if I handle it by mail. Apparently, the contested ballots are shelved until later, and once a ballot has been contested, it's moved to the back of the line, where it will stay until they're ready to revisit it.
So this evening, when the first returns are released, my vote for Barack Obama, my vote for Jim McDermott, and my vote for marriage equality won't be among those totals. My vote will undoubtedly be counted eventually: I will give them what they need to straighten things out. But in the meantime, I feel disenfranchised, and I don't like it. The wingnuts have been on a mission to expose voter fraud since 2004, when Christine Gregoire won the governor's race (following 2 recounts, including a hand recount) by 133 votes. It's not the election process they worry about, it's malfeasant individuals, impersonating others (especially the deceased and illegal) that represent the bane of their existence.
I suppose it's possible that some ne'er-do-well (possibly a Marxist intent on spreading socialism to every nook and cranny of our society) stole my ballot, forged my signature, and submitted the fraudulent ballot (which, as coincidence would have it, contained votes identical to the ones I actually cast myself) to elections officials...