Under Vote By Mail, ballots are mailed to all registered voters between two and three weeks prior to election day. In Oregon, those ballots are of the easy to understand "fill in the oval next to your choice" variety. The voter places the completed ballot into a security envelope, and then in a mailing envelope (both are provided with the ballot) and signs the back of the outer envelope. Ballots can then either be mailed to the county, or dropped off at one of many secure drop sites (at libraries, post offices, court houses or any county building). County workers check EACH signature against the voters signature on file from the registration card before removing the ballot from the mailing envelope.

Citizens who have tried Vote By Mail overwhelmingly prefer it to polling place elections. In fact, a 2003 survey of Oregon voters found that 80.9% liked the convenience of Vote By Mail better than standing in line to vote in a booth. Voters also note that filling out their ballots at home, on their own time, gives them an opportunity to make better and more informed decisions on races or issues they may have known little about otherwise.

Oregon has held all of its elections entirely by mail since passing a statewide VBM ballot initiative, 70%-30%, in 1998. In Washington State, the vast majority of counties already vote by mail, and it is likely that the state will move to all-VBM in time for the '06 general election. In Colorado, the majority of counties use Vote By Mail for their off-year elections. And in Arizona, cities may apply to their counties for permission to hold mail-in, rather than polling place elections, as Tucson has recently done. A number of other states are experimenting with, or considering Vote By Mail. In California, where voters may choose to become permanent absentee voters, more than 40% of ballots cast in '05 were mail-in ballots, and that number has risen with each election.

Contact: Adam Smith