County all-mail voting trial

Pacifica vote, there you are

The Daily Journal (San Mateo County), Michelle Durand.  "County to try all-mail voting."

We're the experiment, goody

"San Mateo County is allowed to hold up to three all-mail ballot elections after the governor Friday signed a bill authored by Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco.The legislation lets the county join Yolo County in a pilot program through 2018 in which they can hold elections by mail. The pilot will collect more data that could potentially lead to wider use statewide.

....  Supporters of all-mail ballot elections have said they can cut down on cost, speed up results and push up voter turnout. .... The chosen dates can include off-year elections, such as city council and school board races, and special elections. 

....  San Mateo County officials have unsuccessfully lobbied for all-mail ballot elections for several years and its voters have long favored absentee ballots in its own elections. In the June primary, mail-in ballots accounted for 78 percent of votes cast. Neighboring counties saw similar trends. Santa Clara County noted 81 percent by mail and Marin County had 77 percent, according to data from Church."  Read more.

Lost one

Related article - Mercury News/Peninsula/Bonnie Eslinger, 8/15/14. "Bill signed by governor allows San Mateo County to do all-mail-ballot elections. A bill that allows San Mateo County to experiment with all mail-ballot elections was signed into law Friday by Gov. Jerry Brown. ....  The pilot project requires that every registered voter receive a ballot in the mail along with a ballot return envelope with prepaid postage. But the county must also provide at least one polling place and drop-off location in each of its cities for those who don't receive a ballot, want to submit their ballot on Election Day, or prefer to vote in person. .... The purpose of the test program is to collect data and pass it on to state legislators, including breakdowns based on race, ethnicity, age, gender, disability and political party affiliation."

Note photographs: Experiment in smoke from University of Queensland, Australia. Scientist viewing results from The Guardian, UK. Rat (as in lab rat) from Property Management Insider.

Posted by Kathy Meeh