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Mail-in Votes Changing the Nature of Elections

By Howard Rothman, 10-27-05

Tuesday was October 25, but it was Election Day for me. Like thousands of Coloradoans, I had no choice but to vote by mail this year and I dutifully filled out my ballot last night at the kitchen table. According to the Denver Post, in 36 of the state's 64 counties -- including several of the most populated -- all ballots in this election have to be cast by mail. Despite the heated campaigns for and against Referendum C & D, however, this movement toward mail-in ballots and a lack of other hotly contested races and measures around the state has some observers fretting that the totals this year could be low. But is mail-in really the reason?

Probably not, even though the process is undoubtedly changing the nature of our elections. This fall, for example, half of Colorado's 2.8 million registered voters have no choice but to cast their ballots by mail. This includes residents in some of the state's largest counties, such as Arapahoe, Boulder, Douglas, Jefferson and Mesa. (Denver voters will still hit the polling places in person on November 1, as will those in Adams, El Paso, Larimer, Pueblo and Weld.) If you live in an all-mail county, voted in the 2004 presidential election, and have not changed your address since then, you should have received your ballot by now. If not, contact your county clerk's office right away: all mail-in ballots must be returned to those same county clerks by 7:00 p.m. November 1.

Secretary of State Gigi Dennis believes 45% of eligible Colorado voters will cast votes this year, which is a far cry from the 89% who voted in the 2004 Presidential election -- and even somewhat lower than 2003, when nothing approaching C&D's controversial nature graced the statewide ballot and just 46% of us decided to vote. But since the only official notification of the 2005 election for many is the arrival of the mail-in ballot, a number of observers fear the vote will fall under the radar for lots of Coloradoans. And Dennis' official website is certainly no help, as it offers not a single clue to the process or any means for gathering further information.

Despite these various and sundry obstacles and criticisms, there is some evidence that mail-in ballots -- first used in California in 1977 -- actually aid the process by making it possible for more people to vote. Proponents also argue that it is more cost-effective than operating traditional polling places, and allows voters like me to carefully but leisurely weigh our issues and candidates at comfortable spots like a kitchen table. Statistics from places like Oregon that have been doing this for several years also indicate that the process generally boosts voter turnout. Some complaints have surfaced, though, such as one that argues the isolated nature of the process undertaken in this way further alienates us from our neighbors and another that claims its haphazard nature could cause some people to discover relevant information that might have impacted their vote only after their ballots have already been mailed.

The process is apparently here to stay, though, with Oregon leading the way (using only mail-in voting) and other states like California, Florida, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Washington State now joining us in using it in some form or another. And, despite its possible flaws, I have to say I kind of like the mail-in process -- although for major, even-year elections, I still prefer to visit my polling booth and walk out with an "I Voted" sticker on my sweatshirt.

But in much of Colorado the mail-in vote is now here to stay, whether we like it or not. So, if you live in a county where such voting is required, be sure not to miss your opportunity to have your voice heard -- and don't let the regulations disenfranchise you because you didn't carefully follow the rules as specified, since even submitting your ballot on time will not count if you do it incorrectly. This means remembering to sign it, placing it in the separate privacy envelope provided, enclosing a copy of your I.D. if you haven't voted previously, and putting the proper postage on the envelope before dropping it in the mailbox.

And, if you want, you can even make up an "I Voted" sticker for yourself and walk around with it on your sweatshirt until November 1. If you did vote, you earned it.

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