Busting ballot blunders and other election myths

Dear Annie: Recently, you published a letter in which someone recommended putting a stamp on an election ballot, even if it had already had prepaid return postage, in order to hasten its delivery. That isn’t how it works.

The bulk-mail misunderstanding may stem from some election bureaus sending the blank ballots or applications to voters via bulk mail instead of first class. But the business-reply mail already is first class. And in many states, such as here in Pennsylvania, the county elections offices are making them postage-paid through one of several options; some might physically stick stamps on them.

I’m afraid you fell for “be sure to repost and pass along” misinformation on the Internet.

— John Z. Dear John: I regret sharing any inaccurate information about postage for ballots. I appreciate your (and several other readers’) setting me straight. Note that the process may vary slightly depending on your state. The USPS has stated that while those voting in states where prepaid postage is not provided should buy their own stamps for the return envelope, USPS cannot reject votes without postage. Readers can find information by visiting www.usps.com and clicking on “Election Mail.”

Dear Annie: I had to write to ask your opinion on something that’s been irking me for years now: I know many people who only call me when they’re in the car. More and more friends are doing this; with everyone using cellphones (as opposed to home phones), you can’t tell if they are in their car when calling so you answer it. I feel I am being used to make their trip to wherever go quicker and fill in the void. Then they get to their destination and say, “Well, I am here,” and hang up. Oh, and don’t forget the commentary on other drivers or spying something different or whatever. Am I the only one who is bothered by people only calling when they are in their car?

— Call Me From Home Dear Call Me From Home: It seems that long, leisurely calls from the sofa on a Sunday afternoon have gone the way of the landline, but we ought to revive the tradition. As tempting as it can be to catch up on calls from the road, it can leave call recipients feeling slighted, and, even more importantly, it’s dangerous. These negative impacts hold true even with hands-free calls, according to a 2016 study from the University of Sussex. Researchers believe that this is because talking on the phone and driving compete for similar parts of the brain.

So, let’s be better drivers and better conversationalists. Save the long phone calls for home.