Voting by mail has perks for both early birds and procrastinators

Published 11:24 pm Tuesday, October 20, 2009

There it sits, unopened and sometimes buried by fresh mail. I won’t forget. I’m just not ready to rip open my ballot and vote.

Since Snohomish County switched to mail-in balloting in 2006, it’s been possible to vote any day in a window of more than two weeks before each Election Day. The county sent out 367,884 ballots Thursday. They’re due back Nov. 3.

I’m often a stubborn procrastinator — with last-minute Christmas shopping or filing income tax returns. That’s not the case with voting. I wait for good reason, in case something comes up.

“I actually vote late,” said Todd Donovan, a political science professor at Western Washington University in Bellingham. “One of the big questions, with all this voting by mail, if you do vote early and something big happens, what then?

“What if some big scandal breaks the weekend before Election Day, but they’ve already got most of the ballots? I think that’s one of the big risks,” said Donovan, whose expertise is in electoral politics.

He’s right. I might read an article or editorial endorsement that shifts my views. A doorbell-ringing candidate I hadn’t seriously considered may make a convincing case. Even a nasty campaign attack on an opponent could cause me to switch my decision.

Some voters return ballots the day they get them.

“You do see spikes early in the process. We get about 10 percent of ballots in the first couple days,” said Garth Fell, Snohomish County elections manager. Then, they trickle in. The county auditor’s office sees several ballot surges, one after each weekend, he said.

Still, about half of all ballots come in Election Day or the day after, Fell said.

Dee Gillis, 53, of Arlington, waits until the end of the voting period to return her ballot. In other years, she’s been swayed to change her mind in the last few days. “It gives me time to think. I like it,” she said of the all-mail process.

Votes aren’t always secret. Gillis said she and her husband sit down together to discuss candidates and issues before casting ballots. “We don’t always agree,” she said.

Jason Fix, 29, of Arlington, likes the convenience of voting by mail. In the past, he sometimes missed elections because of work. He also appreciates being able to study a voters’ pamphlet while casting a ballot.

For Mary Andrews, of Lake Stevens, standing in a voting booth while others waited was difficult. “I don’t like that pressure. Sometimes there were long lines,” said Andrews, 46. She’s happier taking time to study her choices while voting.

“I usually mail it the very last day,” she said.

Greg Fix, Jason’s father, isn’t convinced the mail-in system is better than going to a polling place. “I really miss that community spirit, and sometimes seeing your neighbors on Election Day,” said Fix, 56, of Everett. He hasn’t voted yet.

Early-bird voters may miss seeing every last scrap of campaign literature as candidates spend money where it counts. If you don’t like all that mail, vote now.

At any time, a list of which voters have cast ballots is public information. “Campaigns will request that, and target voters who have not returned ballots,” Fell said. It depends on individual campaigns whether you receive their information, he added.

It’s the same with in-person visits. Vote early, candidates may skip your house.

We have until 8 p.m. Nov. 3. Late voters should know that Election Day isn’t like April 15, the tax deadline day. Most blue postal boxes don’t have a late pickup time. New this year is a 24-hour drop-off site at the downtown Everett corner of Wall Street and Rockefeller Avenue on the Snohomish County campus.

Those who insist on casting ballots the old-fashioned way can vote at the auditor’s office, or, the last two days, at the Lynnwood Library. “We do have people who still come in person, and that’s fine,” said Fell, who has already voted.

Donovan, the political science professor, is encouraged that mail-in elections appear to increase turnout. He liked going to the polls, though.

“I miss getting the sticker,” Donovan said.

Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460, muhlstein@heraldnet.com.