Vote-by-mail plans advance

BOISE — Idahoans could be voting from their kitchen tables in the future, if a group of county clerks has its way.

The State Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives discussed two vote-by-mail proposals Thursday, and approved both to become formal bills for further discussion.

The first, proposed by several associations of Idaho county clerks and counties, would allow local governments to declare that an election would be vote-by-mail. All registered voters would automatically be mailed ballots, which they could return by mail or at secure drop boxes. A limited number of traditional polling stations would still be available.

Mailed ballots would have to be in the clerk’s office by 8 p.m. on Election Day; postmark times wouldn’t count.

Currently, voters must specifically sign up to be an absentee voter to be able to vote by mail.

Mail-in ballots make participation in government more convenient, said Fremont County Clerk Abbie Mace. They also allow voters to make more informed decisions, she added, because they can take more time to vote, and have easy access to information during the voting process. “We’re living in a fast-paced world,” said Mace, whose county covers the northeast corner of Idaho’s boot. “Vote-by-mail makes a better option for our voters.”

Under the proposal, voters would be sent their ballots 14-18 days before an election.

Allowing voting by mail, and having fewer traditional polling places, would save taxpayers money, Mace said. Automark electronic voting machines, which are used throughout the state, cost about $6,000 to purchase, and $250 per year in maintenance fees. In her county, Mace said, she spends about $10,000 per election day on pollworkers.

“The cost difference is immense,” she said.

But some lawmakers expressed concern about increased potential for voter fraud in a vote-by-mail system, where there are no pollworkers to check identification, and identities are verified by comparing the signature on the ballot to that on the voter registration card.

If a voter were to die, a ballot might still get mailed to that person’s house, and someone else could use it to vote, said Rep. Eric Anderson, R-Priest Lake.

Mace said workers would be trained in comparing signatures on ballots and registration cards.

The second vote-by-mail proposal, from Rep. John Rusche, D-Lewiston, would remove the size restriction on precincts that counties can declare as areas where voting by mail is the designated option. Currently, only precincts with fewer than 125 people can be designated as mail-voting areas.