A few weeks ago I wrote about being a registered Unaffiliated voter in Colorado and how I receive both the Democratic and Republican primary ballots. I briefly considered the possibility of voting the GOP ballot and trying to throw a wrench into their Senate race. But only briefly. I think my fingers would burst into flame if I tried to vote Republican.
Furthermore, there was a contested race (one of only two) on the Dem ballot that I felt I had to vote in. The county sheriff race has two contenders and in researching them both I was reminded that the incumbent is a real yahoo who actually fired the man running against him. Anyway, I marked my ballot for the challenger and sealed it in the signed and dated return envelope. (The signature, I learned, not only identifies me but also gives election officials a picture of my latest handwriting/signature, which can change over time.)
(Yes, I tore up the unused GOP ballot.)
At that point we voters have several options. We can deliver the ballot directly to county election officials, put a stamp on it and trust the Post Office, or drop it in the closest ballot collection box where ballots are picked up by election officials. Time was not a factor because Election Day is June 28, but I still think there are too many hands involved if one resorts to the Post Office. So last week I drove up to the drop box in a nearby shopping center and without having to leave the car, dropped my ballot into the slot. Voting complete.
Less than 24 hours later I got both a text and an email telling me my ballot had been received and I would be notified when it was certified and counted. Included was the URL of the online website where I can check the status of my ballot at any time.
And that is how we vote in Colorado.
Note, June 20: Today I got both a text and an email confirming that my vote has been counted.
I wish MO would break into the future like CO! We seem to be still in the 19th century, voting-wise. There is a movement to embrace ranked-choice voting but it’s not likely to present it to us for approval this year. Aargh!!
I’ve voted in at least four different states and this is by far the easiest, although the others may have updated their methods since I lived there. Standing in line for up to several hours was bad enough, but Georgia’s butterfly ballot (~1972) was truly awful. Frankly, if I still had to stand in line, I’d probably only be voting in presidential elections, if that.
California makes it easy to vote too. What a concept! The states that are determined to make it hard to vote are obviously run by governments that only want a certain type of voter to be able to cast their ballots. Those people who stand in line for hours to vote are true heroes.
Indeed they are. Especially when the people in charge planned it that way knowingly and deliberately (I’m thinking especially of Georgia, where they really try to limit the black vote.)
I, too, am undeclared in Calif. Our Primary system allows I receive only one ballot with all political parties on it. Likewise, I chose to put my ballot in a drop box. It should be this easy all over the country.
Absolutely.