Yesterday I voted by mail for the first time. I liked it. I liked it a lot. It was a small local election, mostly non-partisan and the actual polls will be open next week.
So here's how it worked:
I had already applied to receive my ballot by mail. I filled out an application that included my voter registration number, and my signature and other information. The ballot came in a well marked envelope and included a "security sleeve" and a return envelope. I had to sign and date it when I sent it back. I know they check the signature because one of my friends had hers rejected because her signature didn't match. They did let her know and sent her a new ballot.
This particular election is a small, local election. One race for county commissioner, one for the board of elections, and two for school board. (There may have been one more, but I can't remember for sure). If I'd been voting in person, it's likely I wouldn't have bothered to turn up. I know, I know. It's my civic duty to vote in all elections. But let's face facts, the person who runs the school board probably isn't going to impact my life in any significant way and if I had something else to do on election day, I might not turn out for a county commissioner and the school board. Same thing if I turned up at the polls and there was a long line, or it rained. And now there's coronavirus, which is worse in Florida than in most places.
But let's say that I did turn up to the polls. I'm presented with a slate of candidates I know nothing about. The board of elections position and the school board positions are all non-partisan. I have very little to guide me in my selection. Am I supposed to decide based on whose name I like best? In the case of the county commissioner race, both candidates were Republicans. How do I decide?
When I lived in Texas I went to the polls. The lines could be brutal and I was very happy when they introduced early voting. I worked from home and could go at my convenience when there wouldn't be long lines. But for the actual voting, once I got past the federal and state races to the names that didn't ring any bells, I either voted based on party affiliation or I didn't vote for anyone at all. I do believe you should be informed if you're going to vote and if I felt I didn't know anything about the candidates, I just didn't check any box.
But with the mail in ballot, I was able to go online and type the candidates names into Google. I found out that the two Republican candidates for county commissioner have been feuding with each other for at least a decade. Looked like a lot of bickering and childishness to me - fairly well documented in the local press. In the end, I couldn't find enough redeeming qualities in either one of them and opted to let other people choose. I'd be happier with none of the above.
As for the non-partisan races, I was able to determine who the incumbent was, and how long they'd been in that position. I could see which school board candidates had children in school, and whether their children were in public school or private school. I could see who was on the boards of private schools and who favored charter schools over public schools and I could vote accordingly. Again, if I'd just turned up at the polls, I probably wouldn't have voted on those races.
This is just so much better. I'm making more informed choices AND I'm safe.
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