I have been voting by mail for most of my adult life. Early in my career I had a permanent absentee ballot while I pursued my career in Forestry and Environmental Education. My nomadic career brought me to work in different rural locations, making it impossible to be home on Election Day. I had my home base in Portland, where I collected my mail and ballot.
Voting from home has always been more convenient and deliberate. I need not look for the polling location which seems to change year to year. I received the ballot well before Election Day, which allowed me to spend time deciding on the candidates and researching ballot measures without the pressure of the voting booth.
Many Western states vote by mail. Studies have shown that vote-by-mail encourages voter turnout, costs less, and is safer than electronic voting. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that 58 percent of American voters favor vote by mail. Now, with the pandemic upon us, it’s time more than ever to push for national vote-by-mail legislation.
