Note: This post is a companion to my previous post that follows in this Blog titled “Vote!” In “Vote!” I mention vote-by-mail systems in passing. This post covers my personal experience with, and opinions related to, the Washington State Mail-In system. Link to “Vote!”:
I have voted exclusively by mail-in ballot Washington State for over 10 years.
It works. Actually, mail-in ballots work very well and are secure.
How do I Get “My Ballot?”
About a month before the election I will get my personalized official ballot packet in the mail sent to my registered voting address from the King County Department of Elections. The packet includes my personal ballot, a security envelope, a postage paid/pre-addressed return envelope, and simple to follow instructions. I also tear off a stub with a unique code that I can use to check on-line to ensure my ballot has counted.
Why Do I Like Mail-In Ballots?
I know of no one in Washington State who does not really like, and trust, the Washington State Voting System. There was a learning curve at first, but once you got the hang of it there are a lot of advantages.
I particularly like the fact that I can spend time with my ballot. Some choices are easy, but many of the positions require me to spend some time researching. For instance, who knows the names of their port commissioners? Unless they really do something stupid, they never make the news and I have no idea if they are doing a good job.
Washington State takes another step to help with decision making. The Voters’ Guide has candidate written statements and basic qualifications. This guide is mailed to every registered voter prior to receipt of the ballot itself. I use the candidates statements along with other independent sources to help me make decisions.
With Washington State ballots there is nobody behind me in line or an impatient poll worker rushing me to fill out my ballot. With my own personal ballot in hand and time to do research, I feel like I am able to make a wise decision.
Yes, in other systems I could do the research separately in advance and then take a cheat sheet to the polling place and fill it out there. There is, however, something personal about Washington State sending me my ballot and something very important to me about holding my own ballot in my hand as I fill it out in the privacy of my home.
I protect My Ballot, and am very careful with it. I have an ownership that probably comes in part from the tactile nature of the ballot, the fact that it had my name on the packet and on the return envelope, and that I get to live with it for a while. Maybe this is too “woo woo” for some of you, but it is clearly My Ballot, and I like it.
I also do not have to worry about my schedule on election day so that I can get to a polling place, if it is raining, if there are long lines, or now, if there are coughing people in line who may have Covid 19. I don’t have to deal with any of that, instead I take time to prepare and cast my own ballot.
It is best with the Washington State mail-in system to mail in early, which I always do.
Although it is probably not unique to states that have voting systems like Washington’s, I also like that I can verify both my current registration status and also see that my vote was in fact counted by going online to VoteWA.gov Used properly, and with safeguards, technology can make voting not only easier, but also more accurate and secure.
Is This System Safe?
Some people inaccurately state that the mail-in system is open to fraud. This not at all true.
Our Washington State Secretary of State Kim Wyman, who btw, is a Republican in a very “blue state,” is responsible for the mail-in system. Here is what she says about the security of the Washington State Mail-In Ballot system:
“Well, just like the banking industry, yes, you could counterfeit $20 bills, too. And there are ways to detect it and prevent it. And if people do it, there are laws on the books to prosecute that fraud. So like I said, I invite the attorney general or members of his staff to come to any of the five states that currently do vote-by-mail elections. And let us show some of the security measures we’ve built in over time.”
From what I have seen personally, Secretary of State Wyman is correct. Like the monetary system, mail-in voting is not absolutely perfect, but it is very, very reliable. MIT has studied mail-in voting in great detail and the known cases of fraud are negligible.
I have seen memes online showing large stacks of returned ballots along with headlines claiming this proves fraud. It does nothing of the sort. People move. People forget to change their address or change their registration. This happens in every state. If this happens in Washington their ballot goes back to the election officials. These ballots are not counted. Neither are the ballots that are not returned on time. These people, like those in other states who don’t vote, are free to make that decision even I think they are making a stupid choice to not vote (See my companion post titled “Vote!”).
It is a felony to sign someone else’s ballot. Sure, a few will try this, but not many, and they will very likely be caught.
Improvements (See some of my recommendations are included below) have been made over the years to the Washington System. Like any system, there is always room for improvement, but to assert that there is wide-spread fraud is blatantly untrue.
How Does This System Differ From Absentee Ballots?
There is one extra step with absentee ballots in that you have to request them long in advance, but otherwise they have no more safeguards than the Washington State Mail-In voting system.
Both systems require prior voter registration and, although I am not certain about all states, I am pretty sure they also require a signature and have some sort of tracking code or mechanism to ensure that the absentee ballot is legitimate. These safeguards are similar to Washington State requirements.
Do you have to use the USPS?
The United States Postal Service is used for virtually all absentee ballots. It is also used for many, but not all, ballots submitted in Washington. Ballots (whether absentee or mail-in) are pretty secure in the USPS.
Legal protections are in place to ensure mail is not stolen. Mail theft is a felony with up to five years in a federal prison and a fine of $250,000. The postal service has been used for all manner of official government mail since Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General in 1775.
Mail-In voting is really a misnomer since with the Washington State System you don’t really have to, “mail it in.” Most Washingtonians actually do not mail in their ballot, but rather deposit them in secured ballot drop boxes prior to poll closing time.
In Seattle there are over 20 locations where you can deposit your ballot right up until the polls close. You basically drive by the box and drop your ballot in. It is easy and quick. In the past, a majority of voters in Washington have chosen to submit their ballots in person. Mail-In is an option, but not a requirement.
What about People Who Need Help?
Washington State provides voting assistance polls in each county for those people (e.g. the blind) who need help in actually completing their ballot. These polling places have bi-partisan observers to ensure voters can submit safely and securely submit their ballot.
How Do We Know Who is Entitled to Vote?
Just as in other States, when you register to vote you have to provide proof of citizenship and residency and get your signature on file with the State of Washington. With the new Real ID system for driver’s licenses now required by the Federal Government, the registration system is even more secure. You cannot easily get (or forge) a Real ID Driver’s License.
What about Forgery?
Washington uses automatic signature identification software that quickly identifies any suspicious signatures on ballots. The software compares the signature on the ballot to the signature on your voter registration. Flagged ballots are then checked by hand.
I know this works personally because I have terrible handwriting. For the 2018 mid-terms I submitted my ballot with one of my infamous sloppy signatures. The computer picked it up and I got a phone call, e-mail, and a letter sent USPS to my registration address informing me that I had to verify my ballot.
Because of my sloppy signature, I was given a few days to submit documentation which would validate my ballot. My ballot would not be counted until I submitted this. I complied immediately. It was kind of a pain to do, but it was my own fault, and more importantly, I was assured that the system does in fact work. If it could catch me, it could catch a forger.
It would be very difficult to forge someone else’s signature and get away with it. Safeguards are in place.
Isn’t Mail-In Voting a Liberal Plot?
Another fallacy currently being promoted on the Internet is that mail-in systems favor Democrats. Not true.
In Washington State’s 5th Congressional District the very conservative Republican Cathy McMorris Rogers won by a landslide in the 2018 mid-terms. She did this in a very “blue” state in an off-year election that totally flipped the House of Representatives from Republican to Democrat. She was able to win because she is the clear choice of the voters in her district. All of Rogers’s votes came via the Washington State Mail-In System.
In a full mail-in system the people will choose who they want. Neither party has an inherent systemic advantage.
In all of the five states that currently have Mail-In Ballots both Democrats and Republicans have been elected and/or reelected to offices at the State and/or Federal level. The people choose who they want to represent them.
Will Mail-In Ballots Impact the 2020 Presidential Election?
“Some people” say that Mail-In Ballots will invalidate the 2020 presidential election. These “people” say that although absentee ballots are fine/safe and they use them themselves, that somehow “Mail-In” Ballots are not. There is no evidence of this, nor even any rationale.
These “people” also are overlooking the fact that, at least in Washington, most people choose to deposit their ballots themselves and do not use the USPS. Absentee ballots by their very nature require USPS delivery.
Only five states currently have full Oregon-Style Mail-In Voting. Only Colorado among these five could be considered a “swing” state based on past voting records. From everything I have seen/read, the Presidential Election will be won/lost in the so called “Battleground” states. The Mail-In Voting States will not likely impact the presidential results in 2020. Mail-In Voting will, however, impact down ballot races in all states. As noted before, people will choose who they want to represent them regardless of how they submit their ballot.
What about Other States – Should They Switch Now?
No. Currently only Washington, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon and Utah have full mail-in systems that automatically send ballots to registered voters. I believe Nevada is attempting to institute this system now. For 2020, it is too late for states that do not already have full mail-in ballot systems in place to change now. My recommendation is that all states go to this type of system eventually.
It took a while to work the bugs out of the Washington system and there was a little bit of a learning curve on the user end. If you don’t want to go to a polling place this year, it is best for now to use existing absentee ballots (which must be requested well in advance) in those states that don’t already have full vote by mail-in systems in place.
Is the Washington Mail-In System Perfect?
Of course not. As Kim Wyman, The Washington Secretary of State, pointed out, there is always some chance of fraud. She went on to say that the system is constantly being improved.
One change I would make to Washington’s system would be to directly link the state ID/Drivers licenses to voter registration. Currenly you are given an option to register when you get your license. Oregon takes this one step further and automatically registers you to vote unless you opt-out.
State Drivers Licenses (& IDs for those who can’t drive) already require a signature and documentation to prove your residence, nationality, and age so why not use it as voter registration? Why have two systems?
In Oregon when you change address on your drivers license, you are automatically updated in the voter registration system. It is also important to note that it is illegal to have drivers licenses from more than one state at the same time.
Another change I would make in Washington State would be to activate even more of the voter assistance polling places to accommodate those who really do need help filling out their ballots. Yes, it would cost more, but it would be worth it.
One Final Word:
Vote!
