We need to go to mail-in ballots

I understand it is working well in Oregon. Make it national. Hopefully the new Dem leaders will jump on board.

personally i too see it as the way to go

That's an astonishing figure if true, and if it is true, that's more than enough convincing for everybody to support mail-in voting.

It will be very illuminating to see who opposes this when it is brought up in Congress.

We ought to make sure they at least seriously consider putting it on the agenda.

Kerry and Wyden proposed some trial projects across the country to test mail-in. We have to make voting more accessible as many ways as we can.

More votes=more Dem victories.

That's what my local paper reported yesterday. I can't access yesterday's news for a link without an online subscription; my hard-copy subscription apparently doesn't count. x(

It was about 70%, much higher than the rest of the nation. Possibly because no one has to rearrange their schedule, stand in lines, brave bad weather, etc.; we have a couple of weeks after receiving the ballot to make reasoned decisions, stick on a stamp, and put it in our outgoing mail. If we procrastinate past the mailing deadline, we can drop it off at any of the abundant collection boxes; still no lines.

Mailing in the ballot is removing the sense of community.

And I have no idea why you think a pile of mail wouldn't be easy to steal or manipulate.

People can call and check if their ballot has arrived and take corrective action before the election. They notice if it doesn't arrive in their mail and have time to fix that too. People talk about the election from the day the ballots arrive in the mail, it actually draws more attention to voting. We sit down and talk about all the measures as a family, then everybody marks their own ballot. It creates a different sense of community. It works really well. Although I'm not sure it would in places that are more known for their corruption.

ummm, no. It actually helps. More people vote, more people have a voice. What was your state's turn-out in this election?

If you're worried about someone tampering with your mail (federal offense, on top of criminal charges for messing with ballots) then you just drop it off right at the elections office. Not to mention all the locked ballot boxes at libraries and city offices.

It's so much safer than voting on a machine, at least it will be when we count them by hand instead of opti-scans.

at the same time, so many people just don't make it to the polls, due to the heavy demands on their time. And the long lines in many voting precincts. It opens the vote up to more people, IMO.

When it first started here, you had the option of voting by mail or at the polls. The turnout at the actually polling places was very low. People chose the mail option.

And if you're worrying about the pile of mail being stolen, there are drop-off spots everywhere, which are monitored.

Your sense of community is largely derived from living in and interacting with the community. Voting only comprises one aspect of it, and voting is not an everyday thing, but taking a walk, driving to the grocery store, and talking with friends and neighbors in a community does build a sense of community, so I don't see your concern for removing a sense of community.

With your second point, it's true that no voting system is fool proof, but the primary gain of mail-in voting is that it is more convenient for the voter, which would only encourage greater participation especially with respect to the weather and time constraints due to work-related reasons, and that there is a hard-copy paper trail, as opposed to what you get with e-voting.

Mail in voting works quite well and there is a paper trail.

Thanks for your comments.

In peace,

Radio_Lady in Oregon

i prefer going to a polling place and casting my ballot- although i think that it should be switched to a weekend, for two, or even three days, instead of on a tuesday.

those with two jobs and little time to go to the polls.

wasn't as high as predicted, but still is a pretty good turnout. Lots of positives about vote by mail. I like being able to take my time, look through the voter guides that the state puts out (there were 2 volumes this year), and make my choices from my couch.

Another added bonus: Once your ballot is received, the phone calls stop. I was getting calls 7-10 times per day (mostly recordings) and as soon as my ballot was in, it all stopped.

Mail-in ballots are working for us. However, it does take a little of the excitement away at the last minute. But it keeps people from having to make that mad dash to the precinct voting place.

I only voted once, at a church on Murray Boulevard, in the May 1998 primary or it might have been in November. That was my first Oregon election, and also the last election before the change to mail-in ballots, I believe.

with the mail-in ballot, my hubby is more prone to voting than he was. His schedule is such that he generally has to be at work before the polls opened, and worked a 12-hour day, so didn't feel like going afterwards. Now, he can just fill out the ballot on a weekend, and we stick it in the mail. We haven't missed an election, small or large, since vote by mail started.

Initiative Objective: The single purpose of this initiative is to ensure that all registered voters are automatically mailed ballots from the election official before every election. Automatically mailed ballots shall be in proper form for voting, have all necessary instructions and shall be accompanied by a postage paid first class return envelope to the election official. A limited number of county-wide polling places shall remain open on election days for on site voting and for voters to return of automatically mailed ballots.
Sponsor: Your Right to Vote
Status: On Ballot (Proposition 205)
Website: http://www.vbmaz.com
Full Text: Prop. 205 (I-11-2006)

have a wonderful time if that was the only option everywhere.
I'd want to do it only if the safeguards were really tight.

If they saw my Obama yard sign (ex.) and they were for the ReCON,like magic that ballot could disappear.

Help me understand why it is HACK proof.

I do believe it would encourage everyone to vote.

I say 24 hour, armed guards with a camera on them every minute as you place your ballot in the mailbox like your tax returns when it's the last minute.

There are a few freeps everywhere but I don't believe there are many who would risk jail over a couple ballots.

You have to sign the outer envelope which is checked against the signature when you registered to vote. As soon as the ballot is returned, as people said above, the phone calls stop. If the phone calls don't stop, you know something is wrong. People in a postman's delivery area start having ballots disappear, they go to jail. It's quite trackable. It works.

goclark,

You could drop off your ballot at the post office, your county's Election Office, or one of the many designated ballot drop sites if you have some concerns about the mail person.

As for being "hack proof" (one of my concerns as well) I can only add the following. I have volunteered a fair amount of time over the last 6 months at the Democratic Party of Oregon office in Portland and I asked about this issue as we use optical scan technology in my county. I *think* optical scan is used throughout Oregon but I may be wrong. I was assured by DPO officials that true random (not "Ohio random") precincts are audited with a recount and if there is any variation, a recount is performed.

There are are several envelopes in the ballot packet. There is an inner envelope (named security or "secrecy envelope"). The secrecy has no markings on it that would indicate whose ballot is inside. The secrecy envelope goes inside the ballot return envelope. There is a "Voters Statement" printed on the ballot return envelope that must be signed for the ballot to be counted. These signatures are checked at the County Elections Office to make sure they are valid signatures. If the signatures are valid, then the secrecy envelope is taken out of the ballot return envelope and is then ready to be counted.

Here are some FAQ's about Oregon's Vote By Mail:
http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/HAVA/votingguide/faq.html
http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/vbm/faq.html

many people standing in line, said they were vote by mail next time. I pointed out they were holding an absentee ballot application. It was on the back page of the sample ballot booklet many brought w/ them as their 'cheat sheet'.

To those who love the 'sense of community' or going to their polling place, it is obvious you don't have an employer that only allows you 20 or 30 miniutes to vote or you have to vote on your lunch hour. Polls in CA close @ 8PM; our last voter left the polling place @ 9:35pm. The line was long all day. We had 10 people in line when we opened the polls @ 7am and there was no break at all during the day.

I vote by mail - except I take my ballot to my polling place and drop it in the ballot box - don't have to stand in line.

How I wish we could get a number and a receipt

I also think we need to do a better job tracking registrations while making it easier to register. I suspect there are people who vote absentee in New York and in person in Florida or visa versa. I know two of my kids are registered in two places because the new elections board never notified the old elections board. My daughter registered last year at school before her birthday, but she wasn't certain if she was really registered until she showed up at the poll election day. I know it's the right wing that worries about voter fraud while we worry about voter suppression, but I think these are two sides of the same coin.

I've got a progressive condition that robs mobility, it's been a mother this past few months. I used to go to the polls every time as early as possible, things being the way they are though it was much easier to sit at my table to exorcise my constitutional right.

We got our ballots in early october, it felt good to add my voice to the wave.

'counting the damn mail in ballots.'

they supposedly wont be done for another ten days.... I canvassed for this shit, I KNOW that 10 days worth of people did NOT do mail in ballots. That is also why the mail in ballot proposition here in AZ Failed.

We were able to vote here in GA for the entire week before Election Day. I voted Nov. 1. It took 10 minutes, as opposed to the long lines Tuesday, when I wouldn't have been able to make it to the polls at all!