Digger: I'm opposed to the Vote By Mail system - mainly because if you are too lazy to either go vote or call go through the absentee process, then I don't want you voting - espically if you are uninformed. Everyone has the right to vote, I just don't think that the gummit should be catering to lazy people.

Dan of the County: Well Digger, I have to strongly disagree with your conclusion that those who don't vote, either though they have a chance under the current system, are likely to be lazy and/or uniformed. The public comments (and I've had more than just about any other issue I can think of in my 20+ years on school board, city council, and county clerk) I’m hearing are from many informed and well intentioned people are that they want to vote, they intend to vote, but life ends up getting in the way on election day and they end up realizing they didn't vote. These may be single moms, elderly, and politically active people. I think you can see evidence of this situation happening in many elections, but especially in low turnout primaries where there have been "upsets." Often the losing candidate will say I don't see how I could lose when I had so many people tell me they voted for me. But upon checking the actual voting records for those individuals what they often find is that Harry or Sally or whoever actually didn't vote, but were just too embarrassed to admit it when asked. "Lazy." "Uninformed." "Uninterested." Sorry, but after many years in public service on both sides of the voting booth, I give the voters more credit than that.

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