Nov 07 2007
A piece of democracy died today
Today was a bittersweet day. Before work, I went down to the Issaquah Police Station today. No, I didn’t post bail.
I voted. What made it bittersweet to me, is that I voted for what is likely the last time.
No, my commitment to civic responsibility is still intact, so it is not that. King County, where I live, is moving with most of my state to an all mail in ballot system.
And I hate it.
My opposition to mail in ballots is not absolute, for some people it is a necessary process. They have situations that demand an absentee process. But I think for the average person, the ‘burden’ of driving to a local polling station, signing your name and taking you ballot to a semi private voting table to fill in the ovals, or connect the arrows or whatever, is not such a huge burden.
The people at the polling stations are friendly and utterly committed to the democratic process. In Issaquah, I have yet to see a non smiling face. The attitude is almost festive and the appreciation you feel for being there and being part of the process is very warming.
But the majority of people polled want to vote by mail and as in all things, the majority rules. To me the mail in ballots are just not the same. You fill it out, sign it, lick a stamp and away it goes.
So what if you fill out your ballot a week before the election, and mail it off. You are committed to the choices you made. Then the night before the election, the guy you voted for is arrested for DUI. Can you change you mind? No. That louse still gets your vote. When you hit the polls on election day morning, you have the latest info at your disposal.
Sure, you can mail it the day of the election, but that means the election results are delayed by weeks as they have to wait for the trickle in effect, and the signature verification process is frankly a nightmare.
And need I mention Lt Bryan Suits, whose ballot for the 2004 election still has not arrived. No explanation.
In my opinion, it is like the difference between a fresh grilled hamburger at a family BBQ compared to fast food burger. The BBQ has more then food, it has family, and fun and fellowship. The fast food joint has a drive thru and takes credit cards.
Hooray. Welcome to fast food voting.
Part of my ire is that the issue is being forced. I don’t have an option any more. My wife switched to mail in this election voluntarily, as her schedule made it hard for her. I did not. I accept that different people have different ideals.
But I hate the bully aspect of governments.
So to me, today, part of Democracy died: The Polling Place.
I will miss it.
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Rosemary’s Thoughts, The Midnight Sun, Adam’s Blog, Right Truth, The Populist, Shadowscope, The Bullwinkle Blog, Big Dog’s Weblog, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, Pursuing Holiness, Conservative Thoughts, Adeline and Hazel, Allie Is Wired, third world county, DragonLady’s World, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, CORSARI D’ITALIA, High Desert Wanderer, Right Voices, Gone Hollywood, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
13 Responses to “A piece of democracy died today”
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I hate that we’re losing the polling place too. Mostly because I don’t trust the mail ballots at all.
I don’t trust the post office to deliver them to me. I don’t trust the post office to deliver them to the elections office. I don’t trust that there won’t be fraud when King County mails a ballot to someone that’s moved out of the county, even when they’ve changed their registration.
I don’t trust King County to count them properly, or to handle them properly. In 2006 roughly 20% of mail in ballots delivered at the polling stations were mishandled.
The all-mail ballot system is an invitation to fraud, in a system rife with fraud already.
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