Mail-in Vote Is Part Of Election Reform
Those who see the mail-in ballot as a gimmick that gives Mayor Albert T. McWilliams one last shot at a third term may be surprised to learn it is part of a nationwide program of election reform.In July 2005, Acting Gov. Richard Codey signed into law four bills aimed at promoting voter access and accountability of government in the election process. They include a “no-excuse” absentee ballot this year; registration in 2006 up to 21 days before an election, not 29; in 2008, moving the presidential primary to February and ensuring a voter-verifiable paper trail for every voting machine.
They reflect some of the recommendations made by a National Conference of State Legislators task force in 2001 after six months of studying what went wrong in the 2000 election: "Voting in America: Final Report of the NCSL Elections Reform Task Force."
One of the suggested reforms was to permit any registered voter to vote by absentee ballot [A35 / S1133] without giving an excuse for being unable to go to the polls. The task force looked at practices in all 50 states and found that about one-quarter of all voters used mail-in ballots. In Oregon, all ballots are mailed.
With New Jersey’s new legislation giving any voter the choice to vote by absentee ballot, supporters of any candidate may choose to avoid lines at the polls, encounters with aggressive backers of opponents, going out in bad weather or just juggling a busy schedule to fit in a trip to the polling place.
Gubernatorial candidate Doug Forrester is urging his supporters to use it and the AFL-CIO in New Jersey, backing Jon Corzine for governor, has a link for members to download the application.
Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi said the new absentee ballot application provides privacy, as the voter’s personal information can no longer be seen by anyone handling the card once it is mailed.The application must be postmarked by Nov. 1 to get a ballot back by mail, or it may be requested in person at Rajoppi’s office before 3 p.m. on Nov. 7.
Anyone who requests an absentee ballot for the general election will automatically get them n for future November elections unless the person notifies the county clerk to stop sending them. The cost of the new system to counties cannot yet be determined, according to the state Office of Legislative Services, because counties may need extra staff and equipment to deal with the change.
A large volume of absentee ballots could mean that Election Night tallies from local voting districts will not be definitive. The new ballots will be optically scanned at the county clerk’s office. Results are not official until the Monday following the election.
Voters who want to stick to the traditional way will get a sample ballot in the mail that indicates the polling place for their ward and district. The county staffs the sites with poll workers who receive $200 for the day.
City resident Emily Washington, a poll worker for 50 years, doubted the absentee ballot innovation.
“We fought for the right to go to the polls and vote,“ she said.
Washington predicted slip-ups in the mail-in process.
“It will be just like Florida,“ she said invoking the notorious situation in 2000 that spurred the National Conference of State Legislators to form the election reform task force.
“People who appreciate and have supported the right to vote would not vote by absentee ballot,” Washington said. “Go to the polls.”
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--Bernice Paglia
KEYWORDS: politics, elections
posted by Bernice at 7:15 PM
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