The Impact of Vote-by-Mail on California Elections
By Lillian Ewing | 11/05/2012 | Ballot Access, California, Elections 2012 | 14 Comments
Easy Vote-by-Mail Option in California
The California Secretary of State, Debra Brown, has made it convenient for Californians to vote by mail. California’s stance on mail-in voting (“vote-by-mail”) is permissive to say the least:
“Any registered voter may vote using a vote-by-mail ballot instead of going to the polls on Election Day.”
Further, this can be done extremely soon before the election: voters can mail their requests to vote by mail up until a week before the day of the election. For the November 6, 2012 election in California, this means that any voter could request a vote-by-mail ballot up until October 30th. Voters can start voting as early as 29 days before an election. There are further options for permanent vote-by-mail and military and overseas vote-by-mail.
The Rise of Voting by Mail
Voting by mail is on the rise in California and its effect is by no means small. Statistics for vote-by-mail ballot (absentee ballot) usage have been taken for both primary and general elections in the state of California from 1962 through 2010.
In 1962, a mere 2.63 percent of the ballots for the general election were vote-by-mail ballots. By 1986, the percentage for the general election was still under ten percent, but it started to rise quickly until 2000, when almost one quarter of ballots were mailed in. In 2008, 41.64 percent of ballots, totaling 13.7 million ballots, were cast by mail for the presidential election and, in 2010, 48.44 percent of ballots were absentee.
The 2012 statistics are only available for the primary election but they show that the trend is continuing. An astounding 65.15 percent of voters requested to vote by mail in California. In comparison to 2008, there was a 20 percent increase in mail-in ballots requested in 2012. The statistics are simply staggering and show a trend that shows no sign of stopping in California:
“Vote by-mail in my [Contra Costa] county will be 60 percent of the vote cast and statewide it might hit 50,” according to Steve Weird, Clerk in Contra Costa County of California.
The Impact of Voting by Mail on Campaign Strategy
The impact of the early vote-by-mail option is significant. The option of voting by mail 29 days before Election Day in California has a “direct impact on campaign strategy” by causing campaigns to allocate their resources differently. They have to win votes earlier than they would if a voter waited to vote until Election Day.
According to Adam Fetcher, the Obama campaign’s deputy press secretary, “By encouraging our supporters to vote early, we can focus our resources more efficiently on Election Day to make sure those less likely to vote get out to the polls.”
The GOP has also changed its focus due to the prevalence of vote-by-mail, changing its “ground-game efforts” in several battleground states to focus on the absentee votes at an earlier stage in the campaign. It is not hard to rationally conclude that the vote-by-mail option has changed the face of the 2012 election in California.
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14 Comments
Matt Metzner
11.05.2012
@mmetzner
Many of California’s elections could already be decided for all the public knows. With so many voters using the mail option showing up at the polling place may be irrelevant in a few races.
Michael Higham
11.05.2012
@michaelhigham
Voting by mail is an incredible phenomenon. More than half the ballots cast in 2010 and in the June primary were mail-in ballots. I still like the thrill of voting on election day at the polls, but absentee ballot have made things so much easier for voters who wouldn’t vote otherwise.
Chad Peace
11.05.2012
@Chad_Peace
We should all vote the same day, a weekend or make it a holiday, and knock off all the expensive stuff. I know its tough for rural communities, but the political dialogue would be so much better off and the communities more focused.
Chad Peace
11.05.2012
@Chad_Peace
“Vote by-mail in my [Contra Costa] county will be 60 percent of the vote cast and statewide it might hit 50,” according to Steve Weird, Clerk in Contra Costa County of California. — vote by mail is a HUGE advantage to partisans with their partisan infrastructure, voter files, and money to target and message these voters. They know everything about them … when they vote, registration, demographics, you name it …. most people have no idea how much information political operatives have on them.
Emma Goda
11.05.2012
@emmagoda
I think votes could get lost in the mail. We should all be voting on one day only- no early voting or mail in votes.
Lucas Eaves
11.05.2012
@lucaseaves
I was thinking like you emma before i came here. But with the US history of low participation, and the long list of choices you need to make in the voting booth ( in france it is ONE question per election) i think it is great.
Jane Susskind
11.05.2012
@jsusskind
The option to vote by mail is a great option, and encourages people who may not take the time off work, or out of their day on Election Day to still participate in democracy. For me, however, I like actually going to the polls on Tuesday and voting.
Cassidy Noblejas Bartolomei
11.05.2012
@cassidynb
I like voting by mail because my family and I make an event out of it. We sit down and vote together, while debating about the candidates and propositions.
Terri Harel
11.05.2012
@tlharel
I like going to the polling station…
Blaz Gutierrez
11.05.2012
@blazgutierrez
The number of elections that are decided before Nov. 6 is pretty high. You would think the parties would shift away from dumping all their cash at the last minute and work on actual educational campaigns to teach people about their positions (and also learn what the people they want to represent want) instead of just investing in soundbites.
Chelsea Perera
11.05.2012
@cmperera
I wonder what the demographics are like for vote-by-mail voters. If presidential candidates did focus on more educational campaigns, what kind/s of audiences would they be facing
Ian Dawes
11.05.2012
@iandawes
It would be interesting to know how many of those mail in voters were newly registered.
Alex Gauthier
11.05.2012
@alexg
i don’t know what i’d do without vote-by-mail ballots. finding and going to a polling place is such a hassle
Don Morris
11.12.2012
You have other options besides actually mailing in yourb allot. You can bring it to designated drop boxes in your county office or your city hall, beginning 30 days before the election. If you wish, you can drop off your sealed, signed ballot at your polling place on E day, if you cherish the “thrill.”
Just don’t be one of the sad sacks who mail in their ballots late. If they are not in the election office y the time the polls close, they don’t count.
Perhaos California will eventually go to a total vote by mail system, like oregon and Washington. Right now, the counties are maintaining two expensive parallel systems. It is quite expensive to obtain and equip polling places and hire and train poll workers. One system, rather than two, would be somewhat cheaper and just as, if not more, effective.