Editorial - Voting by Mail: Enhances Democracy? Not if Votes Aren't Counted

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By
Assemblyman Joel Anderson

Any registered voter may vote by vote-by-mail ballot.
Rather than go to the polls to cast a ballot on election-day, you may apply
for a vote-by-mail ballot, which you will need to complete and return to your
elections official.

-The California Secretary of State

According to results from recent elections
in San Diego County, we can expect as many as half a million citizens to vote-by-mail
this November. What we don't
know is how many of the ballots are actually counted by the registrar of voters.
Or more specifically, how many are invalidated because they arrive too late
to be included in the election results. Not surprisingly, Registrars of
Voters don't publish those facts.

Voting by mail is a growing trend among
California voters and has benefited the public's participation in the
political process. This week many voters will start receiving their sample
ballots, with vote-by-mail applications. In addition, those voters who are "permanent" absentee
voters will be receiving their vote-by-mail ballots. Some may return their
ballots right away. Some voters will turn them in at the polls. And some voters
will wait until just before Election Day to mail them in. Many voters erroneously
believe that if their ballot is post-marked by Election Day that it will be
counted. This is not true. It must be in the hands of election officials prior
to the close of voting on election night. Unfortunately this mistaken impression
by voters is occasionally abetted by election officials, who occasionally send
the absentee ballots out too late for voters to get their ballots mailed back
by Election Day.

Not surprisingly, voting by mail is a carefully regulated process,
and safeguards are enforced to preserve the integrity of the vote. According
to the State Legislative Counsel, "Existing law requires that the identification
envelope for a vote by mail ballot contain specified information, including
warnings to the voter that they must personally sign the envelope and that
voting twice constitutes a crime." Protected voting procedures are vital
to the democratic process and the right of citizens to decide their government.
Consequently, every effort must be made to allow lawfully registered voters
to exercise their full citizenship duties, and possess a clear understanding
of how the process works.

But how do we ensure voters are properly informed
to get their ballots in by Election Day? I recently authored legislation to
ensure that every voter who votes by mail will be given a fair warning that
ballots must be received by a polling official by the time polls close. State
law currently requires other standard warnings, but this bill would guarantee
a clear statement be printed on election vote-by-mail ballots stating that:

The
vote by mail ballot must actually be received by elections officials before
the polls close on Election Day in order for the ballot to be counted and that
an envelope postmarked by the day of the election is not sufficient.

Requiring
a warning be printed on the vote-by-mail ballot envelope or on the instructions
to the vote-by-mail voter that are included with the ballot is a small step
our government can take to preserve and uphold the continuity and clarity the
voters expect and deserve.

Ultimately, the importance of the right to vote requires
the law to speak clearly and thoroughly so that, in turn, each citizen can
do everything in his or her power to make sure that his or her vote counts.

Republican
Joel Anderson represents East County and portions of San Diego.

The views expressed
here are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views
of East County Magazine or its publisher. If you wish to submit an editorial
for consideration, e-mail editor@eastcountymagazine.org.


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