Vote by Mail

Column originally published Feb. 22, 2007

Voting by mail not a bad idea

By Kelvin Wade

Why can't California become more like Oregon? In Oregon, service station attendants pump your gas for you. There's no state sales tax so the price on the tag is what you pay. And they vote by mail exclusively up north. At least, let us vote by mail.

When I first started voting in 1984, I was surprised by the procedure. I didn't expect there to be a list of me and my neighbors' names and addresses and political parties outside the polling place. I didn't expect the place to be manned by Jurassic poll workers who moved like tortoises underwater.

Didn't expect that I wouldn't have to show ID or that I'd wait in line behind people who seemingly never thought to read up on the issues before heading to the polling booth. I probably could've voted five times if I'd wanted to, but I wanted to get in and out.

Still, despite it's problems, I managed to vote. But poll booth voting doesn't work for everyone. After the 2000 election debacle, Congress passed the nearly $4 billion Orwellian named Help America Vote Act that helped communities far and wide invest in electronic voting machines that made our elections even less accountable.

So in light of California's 2004 decertification of electronic touch screen voting machines and everyone and their neighbor claiming to be disenfranchised, why not switch to voting by mail?
No more election day where we all have to assemble and do the lever pull, punch card, Scantron mini-pencil rigmarole.

No more practicing the world's premiere democracy in the confines of someone's garage.

in the last statewide For those who object to having to pay the price of a first-class stamp to vote, you can always drop off your vote in person to avoid that charge. But c'mon, you'll end up burning 39 cents worth of gas. We're almost halfway there now. Forty-two percent of Californians voted by mailelection.

We voted via absentee ballot. Half of Solano County voters voted absentee ballot last time out. So this shouldn't be as tough a sell in Sacramento as its been. Oregon has seen its election costs drop by a third while voter participation has increased the last two presidential elections.

Sacramento lawmakers already want to move next year's primary election up to February. It's a popular but expensive move that could cost Solano County a million dollars. How about letting us vote via mail and increase turnout and mitigate the cost in the process?

Let's follow our northern neighbors.



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Speaking of ways to make government more efficient, Suisun City took a big step in that direction this past Tuesday evening when it appointed Orvis Wade to the Planning Commission.

Even if he were not my brother, I'd still tell you that he's my first call in a crisis. He has the foresight, the drive, the levelheadedness and sound judgment to help guide Suisun and make the city better.

My only question: Will he be required to be on time for Planning Commission meetings?

Congrats.