Here’s a trick question: When was the Aug. 4 primary election over?
It’s a trick question because under Washington law, there is no simple answer. Ballots are tabulated on election night, of course, but more are received in the coming days. The new votes are counted periodically until the results are certified two or three weeks after Election Day.
These late-arriving votes have the power to change the election results. Last year, Republican Jeanne Stewart edged Democrat Craig Pridemore thanks to late votes and is now serving on the Clark County council. In 2008, Republican Tom Mielke erased an Election Day deficit to defeat Democrat Pam Brokaw for a county commissioner’s job.
So it was of great interest to political candidates, insiders and wonks when more than 800 late ballots unexpectedly turned up Friday at the U.S. Postal Service’s Mount Hood Distribution Center in Northeast Portland. Could heavy-spending Republican Councilor David Madore have eked out a slot in the November general election after running third on Tuesday night, Wednesday and Thursday?
As it turned out, the answer was no. But the sudden suspense days after the election should have been concluded points out that in Washington, it ain’t over until it’s over. Even then it might take a few more days.
A better system is found just to our south. In Oregon, ballots need to be received by Election Day in order to be valid. This eliminates the chance of after-the-fact surprises, and enhances the public’s confidence in the elections process. Winners don’t become sudden losers. It could also boost interest in voting, as the results are quickly known.
Of course, some votes would still be counted late. Not every ballot on hand can be counted on election night. It takes a while to process ballots to make sure they are valid. Signatures on the ballot envelopes must be compared with those on file, and the ballots have to be inspected by hand to make sure they were voted in a way that can be tabulated by computerized scanning equipment. Some ballots that are defective are put aside and the voters are invited to come and “cure” them, by providing a missing signature, for example. But the number of these defective ballots would rarely be enough to swing an election.
The biggest drawback to changing the system would be teaching voters to mail their ballots in time to arrive by Tuesday. Because the postal service no longer guarantees overnight delivery of local first-class mail (which caused the Friday surprise in this year’s primary), ballots would need to be mailed by Friday or Saturday. But that would still give voters at least two full weeks to fill out their ballots. Perhaps the urgency of the deadline might compel them to act sooner, and thus increase voter turnout by a fraction.
Some people prefer to vote at the last minute in case new information surfaces. The county couldn’t make it any easier for these voters. There are three permanent drop boxes, in downtown Vancouver, Battle Ground, and Fisher’s Landing, where ballots can be dropped until 8 p.m. on Election Day. On the day of the primary, 3,863 ballots were deposited there. Another 5,129 voters took their ballots to any of the dozens of Election Day drop-off sites.
Our world becoming more wired. When we do something important, like vote, we expect quick and accurate results. Someday all voting may be conducted online. But in the meantime, it’s time to change the paper ballot system so that every vote is in the hands of the elections office by the deadline.
