Here in WA, it's vote-by-mail. Should all states go this way?

[RiverStone]

Last edited Mon Nov 5, 2012, 02:04 PM - Edit history (1)

Here in very blue Washington state, it's vote-by-mail. No lines. I believe the only other vote-by-mail state is Oregon.

While not having to deal with rightie voter suppression efforts (aka crazy long lines FLA and OH), do you think vote-by-mail helps or hinders GOTV?

Being so blue here, not sure if vote-by-mail is all upside in swing states? It sure makes voting easy!



On edit: good DUers point out lots of other vote-by-mail options, so maybe the stats I was remembering were related to states (like WA) where mail is the ONLY option (no polling spots). Either way, thanks!

[denverdoc]

1. colorado too

We have mail in ballots here in colorado which I think are used by alomst 70% of the electorate. There are also polling locations if you prefer the old fashioned way too. I agree that ohio and especially florida's organizational skills into regards to early voting is a disgrace .

[RiverStone]

4. Cool. Here, mail is the only option.

No polling places, just mail it or the counties have secure (metal reinforced) drop boxes. It just seems all up-side, so wonder why more states have not gone this way?

[marlakay]

24. I love being by mail

I drop off at box at city hall by the library in our small town. What I love is that I can sip a cup of tea sitting at my desk with computer on, taking my time, not holding up any line and can check any questions I have about things I don't know.

I dropped my and my husband's last week.

When I read about people having to be in line for 5 hours or more I want to scream. All of my life living in larger cities before we retired I have never had to wait more than a few min.

I am the type if I had to wait like that would be non stop fighting it until it was changed. My husband can attest I don't have the best patience! lol

[SickOfTheOnePct]

33. Florida voters can vote by mail too, they choose not to n/t

[SoCalNative]

2. Absolutely

It's been proven that states who have vote-by-mail only have consistently higher voter turnout in all elections.

[RiverStone]

3. Is this not the law of the land because of wingnuts?

Thanks SoCal. With so much effort saved, why are we ALL not doing this?

[leftstreet]

5. As long as there are optional polling places on election day

Otherwise it's an excellent way to keep impoverished & disenfranchised from voting

It hurts people who move a lot, or have no address, or miss a few mail ballots and get dropped

[Brother Buzz]

6. I'm leaning that way

Heck, over half of my polling precinct votes absentee already. The remaining registered voters that actually vote at the poll is less then 10%. I ran some loose numbers in my head and realized that each vote actually cast at my Podunk precinct costs over a dollar apiece. The luxury of voting at a poll is fast becoming an expensive white elephant.

[Zorra]

7. Sounds like a winner!

Pun intended.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Yes, it should go that way everywhere

with a few polling places for those who insist on it, or who can't otherwise.

[enlightenment]

9. Personally,

I prefer a more hands on approach - I'm moderately happy with the machines we use in my state that have the verifiable paper print-out we can look at. I'd prefer to have a copy of that for myself, but at least it's on paper somewhere. Do I trust them absolutely? No, but at least I'm the one who is pushing the buttons - and presumably (based on the paper print-out) the machine is recording which buttons I push.

I don't like degrees of separation between my vote and the recording of my vote. Mail-in ballots have to make it through the mail and the unknown number of people who handle the envelope between the mailbox and the destination. They are opened and read by other people (do you have to put your name on them anywhere?) and they are recorded in some fashion after all that. That's a few more humans involved than I care for . . .

[RiverStone]

14. yep - individually signed and sealed

So my name is on it. You are correct in that there is an extra pair of hands feeding the ballots into the counting machines, but all such actions are supervised at all times by bi-partisan folks and people from both (or all) sides.

What we lose in security, we make up in efficiency.

[enlightenment]

34. I'm not sure efficiency should outweigh

the security - and certainly not the secrecy of the vote. The secret ballot may not be encoded in the Constitution, but it is important. I'll stick with keeping my vote secure and private as long as I have that option.

[Bandit]

10. Why has it taken this long to even ask the question?

Oregon has had vote by mail for over a decade and they LOVE it and they also have the highest "turn-out" of any other state....It seems like good ideas come from the Northwest states....

[hogwyld]

29. +1000

I absolutely love the VBM system here in Oregon! When I lived in other states, I would occasionally skip some mid-terms due to hassle and apathy. Now with VBM, I'm engaged in every single election. I also am able to do thorough research while I vote, so not only am I a more engaged voter, but a better educated one as well.

[JitterbugPerfume]

11. yes

[EmeraldCityGrl]

12. You are aware Repukes are going to the homes of Democrats and offering

to collect and mail their ballots don't you? KOMO News carried the story yesterday. SOS said while it
was legal they didn't recommend it. These Fuckers are so corrupt it's mind boggling. They are concentrating
on the Eastside. A few counties also use a denser paper ballots that requires two stamps opposed to one.
The post office has vowed to deliver all ballots.

For the most part I love our system. Plenty of time to sit down, research, fill out your ballot at your kitchen table
with friends or family members. Just have to keep an eye on these Repukes and never get too comfortable.

[Generic Other]

13. Those jerks

And only in King County where the votes always tip the scale. Late in the day.

[RiverStone]

16. yea, heard the pukes were driving around in some van

Amazing it's NOT illegal, but hopefully not too many duped.

I take my ballot to the drop box and avoid mail altogether.

[Nye Bevan]

15. In CT I always vote by mail (absentee ballot).

Nobody comes to stake out your house to check that you are really out of town.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

17. The Reppers are way ahead of us (per usual)...

They're trying to take down the USPS, and just may do it!

[tabbycat31]

18. NJ has no reason vote by mail

I've been doing it since 2009 when it started. IT is still not very popular though.

[brooklynite]

19. How long are you willing to wait for a vote count?

MOST people want it the same day.

[Zorra]

20. When the need for instant gratification is more important than the integrity

of the electoral process, we'll know for sure that our Democracy has morphed into a complete Idiocracy.

“Hand-counting paper ballots is recognized as the gold standard in state laws across the country,” Ellen Theisen of the non-partisan election watchdog organization VotersUnite.org told me. “Why settle for anything less?”

"An open and honest examination of the flaws in electronic voting will lead us to only one possible conclusion: electronic voting machines are dangerous to democracy because there is no way of ensuring their accuracy"
~ Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich

[brooklynite]

28. Some people would argue that, the longer you wait, the more time people have to play with the votes

[Swede Atlanta]

21. Yes!!!!!!

I voted absentee the past two elections and loved it.

Two things:

(1) NO waiting in line
(2) For races or issues about which you have no information - you can Google and do other research

I think we need some form of mail-in or electronic voting if we don't (a) make election day a national holiday and require ANY employer to provide employees with time to vote and (b) mandate that states provide reasonable voting - i.e. no waiting in line for 2-3 hours.

[DeschutesRiver]

22. Oregon does mail in ballots, and I love them for the same reasons you outlined!

We actually picked ours up at our county's election office, and filled them out in the car.

And we both googled various things related to the ballot issues. Had we been uncertain after that, we'd have taken them home for more research, but having already researched issues and just dotting the i and t's of things, we were able to walk back into the election office and turn them in.

It was good to have that finished early and with zero inconvenience, no line standing, nothing but a warm car, some coffee and our Kindles.

[trueblue2007]

23. we have VOTE BY MAIL in oregon also

[RebelOne]

25. Definitely, it's the only way to go.

I voted absentee ballot here in Georgia after I saw the long lines for early voting. I went online and applied for my absentee ballot. I received it in the mail in a few days. I immediately filled it out and put in the mail. So much easier than standing in long lines.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

26. Most people could vote by mail if they wanted to

I did in RI....printed a form online, mailed it in, got my ballot and sent it back. No ID, just two witnesses signatures.

[liberal_at_heart]

27. I love WA's vote-by-mail

No voter suppression(well except for GOPs offering to return people's ballots ). But also it is easy peasy for elderly and the disabled.

[RantinRavin]

30. Absentee Ballot

Makes every state mail-in capable. All you have to do is ask for one.

[politicat]

31. I love Colorado's VBM... But I think polling places and voting centers have their place.

Most of my work colleagues are grad students. Most are Colorado residents, but a lot of them move at least twice during their time here (into grad student housing, then into private housing, and often a third time into permanent housing). Keeping their registration straight can be difficult. Early voting centers make their lives easier because they always know where to go, and since the center is generally on or near campus, that's one less thing to focus upon. (Also, we take an afternoon early in EV, and all us of carpool. For my colleagues, October is almost always crunch time.)

I'd love to get everyone - and I mean everyone, including those who have no permanent address - voting. EVCs help those without a fixed address, those who move frequently, and those who are bad with paper mail. (this I is becoming more common with young uns thanks to email billing, electronic bank statements and online bill pay.)

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

32. But..but..we Washingtonians have to pay for the stamp!!

Sure, we miss the long lines, the drive, the really cool little booths, and trying to figure out which spot to punch, and the shards and all that...but we have to pay!!