Many state secretaries of state and local election officials who were contacted by the Constitution Project brushed off or bristled at these criticisms. They focused instead on the convenience for voters of filling out a ballot at home and sticking an envelope in the mail, the economies of using fewer poll workers and voting machines, and an assumption—which the commissions on voting did not find to be borne out—that alternative voting enhances participation in elections. For election officials in Oregon and Washington, the belief in the efficacy of voting by mail has taken on almost religious significance.
But the consensus of the social scientists, political philosophers, elected officials and others on the commissions that studied voting is in the opposite direction. The National Commission on Federal Election Reform, led by Presidents Ford and Carter, said it was troubled by the trend toward mail voting, early voting in person and absentee voting without requiring an excuse. “Though this trend is justified as promoting voter turnout, the evidence for this effect is thin,” its report said. “Analysts have even noted the possibility that voter turnout in such states may eventually decline, as the civic significance of Election Day loses its meaning.”
The report from Caltech and M.I.T. recommends: “Restrict or abolish on-demand absentee voting in favor of in-person early voting.” And the Constitution Project report decries unlimited absentee balloting and votes by mail, strongly endorsing “the proposition that voting at the polls serves basic and historically rooted objectives” and adding: “The gathering of citizens to vote is a fundamental act of community and citizenship. It provides the greatest security for enabling voters to cast their ballots free of coercion. It facilitates prompt counting and verification of results.”
To many, anything that makes it easier for people to vote is automatically a good idea. It will be a Herculean task to reverse this kind of thinking, especially in the West. But we should be doing everything possible to keep alternative voting from expanding until Election Day becomes a meaningless time. As Congress and the states prepare to move on election reform, they should keep in mind the consensus view of every major panel that has examined this issue."
"A Herculean task..." There it is, FReepers. Are we up to it?