In our view, Nov. 2: Ballot Deadline

As America nears its most historic and dramatic elections in memory, there’s one aspect of the process in our state that can be improved.

We acknowledge that this change is not of earth-shaking consequence. For now, the much higher priority is to make sure your ballot is postmarked by midnight Tuesday. Or, take your ballot at your convenience to the drop-off box a half-block east of the Clark County Elections Office at 1408 Franklin Street in Vancouver. Or, on Tuesday, take it to one of the 35 ballot drop-off sites in Clark County (they’re listed in your ballot information).

Speaking of ballot deadlines, that’s the change we have in mind for future elections. According to the Washington Policy Center, “Washington is one of only six states that count no-excuse absentee ballots that arrive after Election Day.” The center supports Secretary of State Sam Reed’s recommendation: Require all ballots to arrive in elections offices on or before Election Day. That’s the law in most other states including Oregon.

We see this change more as a refinement than the solving of a problem. Washingtonians seem fairly satisfied with the current system. And there is some value in the argument that, if someone wants to vote by mail, and if he or she wants to do so on Election Day, then he or she should be given that opportunity. Indeed, disenfranchising voters — any voter — would never be an acceptable consequence.

But the fact remains, that voters who choose to wait until Election Day to vote still would be able to take their ballots to one of 33 ballot drop-off sites on that final day. And if that voter absolutely insists on mailing the ballot, he or she could do what every voter in Oregon does: Make sure the ballot is mailed in time to be received at the elections office by Election Day. What complicates that process, but only slightly, is the voters’ uncertainty about how rapidly mailed ballots travel to their destination through the postal system. But again, that concern can be resolved by (1) mailing early or (2) using a ballot drop-off box.

Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey, who supervises local elections, said in an e-mail last week: “From an elections administration point of view, it doesn’t make much difference which system is used. The amount of work we do is strongly correlated with the number of ballots we receive; the timing of receipt isn’t that big of a deal.”

Another argument for using Election Day as a ballot deadline is that it expedites counting, and thus the reporting of results. We’re not overly swayed with that argument. The ultra-close 2004 gubernatorial race in our state wasn’t finalized for more than six months, so a different deadline wouldn’t have made much difference.

But as the Washington Policy Center’s Jason Mercier wrote: “While the lack of speedy election clarity is an irritant for Washingtonians, imagine what would happen under our current policy if the presidential race relied on the outcome of our state’s ballots. The ensuing chaos could make Florida’s 222 hanging chad contest look like an exercise in election discipline.”

This issue has come up a few times in the Legislature, without any meaningful steps taken. We hope it comes up again.

Instinct tells us that Washington state does everything better, and our voting system has been vastly improved in recent years. But changing the ballot deadline could make our good system even better.