Hike elections turnout with voting by mail
Published May 1st, 2007 in Bergen RecordBy: Alex Sommer
That is a dismal turnout, especially considering North Jersey is home to one of the greatest concentrations of highly educated residents in the nation. By comparison, 54 percent of Bergen County voters turned out for last November's U.S. Senate election.
Even though voters seem to be saying school elections are not as important as a Senate election, that perception is false. School budgets play a major role in high property taxes as they make up a huge percentage of municipal expenditures. As a result, voting on the budget is one avenue where taxpayers could express their displeasure; yet the school budget usually passes in most Bergen towns.
What is even more ironic, according to former Ridgewood School Board President Linda Gilman, is that the school budgets are the only budgets that we get to vote on directly. Yet, that does not seem to be enough to get people to take the time and go vote.
It is surprising more people don't feel compelled to participate in school elections. One reason the turnout is low may be the lack of campaign advertising, which is the typical way the majority of people are made aware of the issues on which they will vote. Obviously, school board candidates do not have the same budget as congressional candidates and must work harder to get their message out as effectively.
Fortunately, there is a simple solution to increase voter participation: voting by mail.
Vote by mail works, and the state of Oregon is proving it. Voter participation there is much higher than the national average, and Oregonians are confident their votes will be counted.
It is safe, according to Bill Bradbury, Oregon's secretary of state, because of signature verification procedures.
"Verification of every voter before a ballot is counted is an effective safeguard against fraud," said Bradbury. "It is read by reliable optical scan machines, and the paper is available should a hand recount become necessary. Mailed ballots are not forwarded by the Post Office, and the constant updating of voter rolls provided by returned ballots allows Oregon to have accurate and updated voter rolls without the risk of partisan purges."
This way of voting has turned out to be far less expensive than the cost of electronic voting equipment and the training for Election Day volunteers.
Mail-in ballots to every household also ensures that everyone is clearly alerted to the date of the election.
The same is happening in the state of Washington where 34 of the 39 counties have permanently switched to vote by mail. The largest county, King's County, which includes Seattle, is in the midst of changing as well.
New Jersey should do the same thing, starting in Bergen County. State Sen. Shirley Turner, D-Mercer, has submitted vote-by-mail legislation, but the Legislature has not yet acted on it.
Legislators who have objections should at least allow passage of a pilot program in select areas throughout the state.
Voting by mail also provides disabled voters an easier alternative to cast their ballots. According to Peter Incardone Jr., the Bergen County Board of Elections chairman, "Three years ago, Trenton promised all municipalities funding so that old polling places could be updated for handicapped voters. We have not seen one penny of this promise." This type of funding will not be an issue with vote by mail.
Besides safety, security and financial savings of vote by mail, the most important part of voting -- turnout -- should increase. Since Trenton seems unlikely to act, Bergen County officials should take the initiative and introduce vote by mail.
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