There used to be a kind of cachet about voting by absentee ballot. The novelty of getting an exemption was cool, as was the sense that you got to do something before everyone else. There was also the convenience of being able to participate in this important civic duty without having to coordinate time off from work to get to a polling place.
But this year, voting by mail before Election Day won’t be a special privilege allowed to only those who request absentee or mail-in ballots. Hawaii will have all vote-by-mail elections for the first time.
Sometimes when you get what you want, you see it differently.
What was once a convenient, novel option is now the only option (though some in-person polling places will be set up). And what was the popular choice is looking a little less progressive and a little more open to corruption.
Over the years, voting by mail and voting before the actual election day at early voting places became more and more popular. What used to be a way to participate in local elections even though you may be traveling on Election Day became a convenience for various reasons. In fact, the 2014 Hawaii primary election was the first Hawaii election in which more ballots were submitted before rather than on the actual election day.
Seeing the way this was going, and spotting a way to save about $750,000 per election on hiring poll workers, the Legislature passed and Gov. David Ige signed a bill to give Hawaii a vote-by-mail system. The thought was that maybe this also would help increase voter turnout, which has been terrible in Hawaii for many years. Save money, try something different, give the voters what they want … Why not, right?
The possible downside is depressing to consider, though, and it goes something like this:
>> “I’m in charge in this family, and I’ll fill out all the ballots in this house!”
>> “You want to keep your job, you show me your ballot with the right names checked on it.”
>> “This nice politician came to the day room this morning and helped all the kupuna fill out their ballots and took them to be mailed. Isn’t that sweet?”
>> “Hey, man, I hear there’s a guy who is paying 30 bucks for every blank ballot you get for him.”
>> “Voters in one district are complaining that no ballots were delivered to their mailing addresses. In other news, neighbors have reported a suspicious vehicle that showed up on their street moments after the postal delivery.”
>> “Oh, babes, sorry. I filled out yours when I filled out mines. And then I filled out mines. I figure save you the trouble, yeah?”
>> “Uh-oh. Grandma just called. She said Romy Cachola is at the door.”
So yeah, keep vigilant. This could work out great, or this could be a failed experiment. There is convenience to be gained, but things like security, integrity, privacy and democracy could get lost in the mail.
Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.
