Oregon’s vote-by-mail system is relatively free of fraud and controversy and has resulted in a modest increase in turnout, a new study says.

Conducted by the Early Voting Information Center at Reed College in Portland, Ore., the report reviews the partisan impact of voting by mail, addresses ballot integrity and provides recommendations for implementing such a system, which has been in place statewide in Oregon since 1998.

The report, submitted in June to the Commission on Federal Election Reform, co-chaired by former President Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker III, calls voting at a precinct place on Election Day “a historical relic.” Research by the center shows that non-precinct balloting exceeded 30 percent in 13 states, including Arizona.

Lawmaker: Not In Arizona

Rep. Steve Gallardo, D-13, a proponent of an all vote-by-mail system, doubts that Arizona will adopt that process anytime soon.

“The only thing preventing us from getting there is partisan politics,” said Mr. Gallardo, a former campaign finance manager at the Maricopa County Election Department. “Republicans and Democrats are not sure how it would affect elections. They don’t know who would benefit.”

Some cities, including Paradise Valley and Litchfield Park, conduct their local elections entirely by mail, Mr. Gallardo said. “All-mail balloting increases turnout and lowers the cost,” he said.

Vote-by-mail is the best way to combat fraud, Mr. Gallardo said, because the signature on every ballot is verified. But if someone is coerced to vote a certain way, Mr. Gallardo said, “I don’t think there’s a way to control what someone does in their own home. If someone is intimidated, there are avenues to get help, but if a husband threatens a wife, you cannot police something like that.”

The report notes that critics of vote-by-mail and no-excuse absentee balloting raise a number of security issues.

“First, ballots sent through the mail may be obtained and filled out by someone other than the legal voter,” the report states. “Second, without the necessity of appearing in person, it is easier to falsely register and vote. Third, without privacy in the ballot booth, a voter could be coerced or unduly influenced.”

The report notes that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has referred to absentee ballots as “the tool of choice for those inclined to commit voter fraud.”

Examples of where absentee ballots played a role in controversial elections include the November 2004 Washington state gubernatorial election and the 1998 Miami mayoral election, the report states.

In 1981, the Oregon Legislature approved a test of vote-by-mail for local elections, and in 1998, after a series of experiments voters approved a statewide vote-by-mail initiative. The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office says vote-by-mail “raises voter participation, decreases costs and increases the overall integrity of the election process.”

The study found that vote-by-mail increases turnout by perhaps as much as 10 percent, but credits the increase to “the retention of existing voters and not from the recruitment of new voters into the system.”

A More Accurate Count

Evidence of ballot integrity is more positive, according to the report, which says two academic teams concluded that vote-by-mail and absentee balloting systems result in a more accurate count.

“Despite having moved to an all by-mail voting system in 1998, and having been a battleground state in the last two presidential elections, Oregon has been relatively free from the controversies that have dogged some absentee ballot states,” the report states.

Regarding costs, the report says there is no clear evidence of savings, except that “an all-mail system is less expensive to administer than a ‘hybrid’ system of polling and absentee balloting.”

The report finds more of a risk for fraud in the return of legitimate ballots. Although all ballots are delivered to voters by mail, nearly 50 percent in some Oregon counties are not returned that way.

“Others are dropped off at the election office or at official drop sites,” the report says. “Still others are left at unofficial drop sites or picked up at people’s door by volunteers, most often sponsored by political groups or by elected officials who see this as a valued form of constituent service. While there are no documented cases in which ballots left at unofficial drop sites or picked up by volunteers being destroyed or tampered with, these practices are a cause of concern.”

Recommendations

The report offers several recommendations, including:

• States must recognize that the choice is between by-mail and so-called hybrid elections.

• Discussion of ballot integrity should be focused on the return of ballots to ensure that they are not intercepted on the way from the voter to the county office.

• Voting by mail should not be considered a panacea for declining voter participation.

In conclusion, the report recommends further research to assess the costs and benefits of vote-by-mail and no-excuse absentee balloting. More needs to be known, the report states, on “how these systems may change the conduct of political campaigns and alter the contribution of elections to American civic life.”

The report is available at: http://www.sos.state.or.us /executive/policy-initiatives/vbm/execvbm.htm —