I still dont understand why there isnt a federal law stating every state has to have vote by mail.

[boomer55]

Its simple, easy and works awesomely here in Oregon.

oh yeah...well heres a good read on why some states are cowardly lions..

http://www.governing.com/columns/dispatch/Why-Hasnt-Voting-by-Mail-Spread.html

[CK_John]

1. I doubt that NY will any time soon. The volume alone could be a problem but

in the 9 home rule counties(NYC and Burbs), there are sections that may as well be foreign countries.

While upstate it may well be Iowa.

[Retrograde]

4. California is bigger, but manages to cope

with vote-by-mail. We also have large populations of people for whom English is not a first (or second) language. And we also have our remote areas that may not be Iowa, but may as well be Montana. And somehow we make voting by mail work - as does Oregon, which is largely rural.

[SheilaT]

2. Do you mean vote by mail only, as in Oregon?

Or vote by mail as an option?

I can recall when an absentee ballot was extremely difficult to get. You basically had to prove you would not be at home on election day, and therefore qualified for an absentee ballot.

I was an airline ticket agent from 1969 to 1979, and in the first half of that time election day was always notable because of how it affected airline traffic. You could see people making a concerted effort to be home to vote.

In 1980 I was living in Virginia, and was going to be out of the country on my honeymoon on election day. That year Virginia made it very easy to show up, show some ID, and vote early. That was my first experience with early voting. I loved it then, and I love it even more in recent years, living in more than one state that makes it easy to vote early.

I was doing some volunteer work at my local Democrat Party Headquarters, and they were trying to get in touch with people who'd mailed in ballots that had some sort of problems, such as not signing the envelope as required. The vast majority were unreachable, as in no phone contact at all. So while mailing in a ballot might be a good idea in theory, maybe in practice it's not so good.

[m-lekktor]

3. I would love it! nt

[cemaphonic]

5. Vote-by-mail is so great.

It solves logistical problems like people needing to arrange time off from their jobs and other responsibilities, all on the same day, and eliminates all of the polling place voter suppression schemes. It leaves a solid paper trail (both Washington and the city of Seattle have had some razor thin elections that were only resolved through multiple recounts). And if WA and OR are anything to go on, it significantly boosts voter turnout (which if you look at eligible voter vs registered voter vs likely voter polling models is a winner for Dems.)

The other reason why I like it is because I feel like it has made me into a better informed voter. Most voters tend to be aware of the high-profile races and initiatives, but there's always a slew of smaller seats and initiatives that don't get much media time. Being able to do research as you are filling out a ballot really helps in those situations.

[freshwest]

6. No cowardice in the article, just stating facts. And people don't liked federal law usurping states.

If anyone wants to vote by mail, they need to make the case with the voters of the states to make it an option. And then elect people to the federal level to enact some form of federal incentive to offer it. This is a simple process. If we don't like the way things are in the state, we have to work to make voters in the states interested in change. If not, the complaint about lack of federal power does not matter. Like complaints about corporate actors in state houses, governorships and Washington, D.C. we have to go in and replace them ourselves by being willing to take on the job.

[badtoworse]

7. Probably because of the 10th Amendment. The Federal Government does not have that power.