Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Mail-in voting has many perks

Oregon has voted by mail for almost 30 years. There are no long lines, no potential for viruses to be spread and no foreign powers to tamper with voting machines. Should you choose to opt in, you are notified by email or text when your ballot is mailed to you and when it is counted.

Another nice feature in Oregon is a voters pamphlet sent to all voters. It contains a statement by each candidate and a list of endorsements. Pros and cons to every ballot measure are also included.

Until 2018, Oregon voters had to supply postage to mail their ballots or, alternatively, they could drop their ballots in boxes at any library or post office in town. This year, just like Nevada, Oregon provided postage-paid envelopes — and the drop boxes are still in place.

The statistics are undeniable and verifiable: Turnout increases by almost 20% with mail-in voting. Now, is there any reason you would really be against increased voter participation?

Additionally, in 30 years of vote-by-mail in Oregon, there has only been one verifiable incident of ballot tampering in the entire state. Someone working in an election office marked ballots for their favored candidates on a handful of ballots that had not been filled in. And that official was a Republican.

Mail-in ballots are safer, cleaner, more convenient and more tamper-proof than traditional voting booths. Besides, wouldn’t you rather fill out your ballot in the comfort of your home rather than standing in line for hours?