Spring Break
Do away with uncontested elections and save money
Seth Anthony
Issue date: 7/23/08 Section: Opinion
Covering the return postage on a mail ballot isn't at all unprecedented: Hawaii, Minnesota, Nevada and West Virginia already do so, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Even more cover the postage on their official voter registration forms, including the large states of California, New York and Texas.
But here in Colorado, it's illegal for anyone except the voter to pay the postage on a mail ballot envelope. As a consequence, we've created yet another barrier to voting -- the cost and hassle of finding the right stamp.
I know I've paid more than one bill late because I couldn't find a stamp in time; consequently, I've switched all my bills to electronic payment and ballots are one of only a handful of items I have to find stamps for anymore. Businesses include postage-paid return envelopes to encourage responses; our government can learn from this example.The requirement that voters pay postage themselves is most likely to burden people like students, who move frequently and are often disorganized, as well as the elderly, disabled or housebound, who may not be able to get out to buy the right stamps in time.
In this era when we have deliberately chosen to facilitate participation in the democratic process through electronic voting machines, accommodations for those with disabilities and mail ballot elections, why do we retain this barrier to voting?
The cost of postage-paid mail ballots would be minimal compared to the savings we'd get from canceling the multitude of uncontested primaries held throughout the state of Colorado. In the high-turnout presidential election year of 2004, about 50,000 Larimer County residents voted by mail. Canceling the uncontested primaries this year could have paid the postage for their ballots 10 times over.
At present, Colorado paradoxically spends money on elections we don't need while refusing to pay the small costs of increasing participation. We can do better -- we can save money on elections while at the same time making it easier for everyone to vote. All it takes is a little political will from our legislators to make the necessary changes in state law.
Seth Anthony is a graduate student working towards his doctorate in chemistry. His column appears occasionally in the Collegian. Letters and feedback can be sent to letters@collegian.com.
But here in Colorado, it's illegal for anyone except the voter to pay the postage on a mail ballot envelope. As a consequence, we've created yet another barrier to voting -- the cost and hassle of finding the right stamp.
I know I've paid more than one bill late because I couldn't find a stamp in time; consequently, I've switched all my bills to electronic payment and ballots are one of only a handful of items I have to find stamps for anymore. Businesses include postage-paid return envelopes to encourage responses; our government can learn from this example.The requirement that voters pay postage themselves is most likely to burden people like students, who move frequently and are often disorganized, as well as the elderly, disabled or housebound, who may not be able to get out to buy the right stamps in time.
In this era when we have deliberately chosen to facilitate participation in the democratic process through electronic voting machines, accommodations for those with disabilities and mail ballot elections, why do we retain this barrier to voting?
The cost of postage-paid mail ballots would be minimal compared to the savings we'd get from canceling the multitude of uncontested primaries held throughout the state of Colorado. In the high-turnout presidential election year of 2004, about 50,000 Larimer County residents voted by mail. Canceling the uncontested primaries this year could have paid the postage for their ballots 10 times over.
At present, Colorado paradoxically spends money on elections we don't need while refusing to pay the small costs of increasing participation. We can do better -- we can save money on elections while at the same time making it easier for everyone to vote. All it takes is a little political will from our legislators to make the necessary changes in state law.
Seth Anthony is a graduate student working towards his doctorate in chemistry. His column appears occasionally in the Collegian. Letters and feedback can be sent to letters@collegian.com.
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