Schram: Change needed in deadline for mail-in ballots
»Play Video
SEATTLE -- Election day is finally upon us. Now it's time to sit back and wait.
And make no mistake, wait we will.
Washington’s Secretary of State is projecting that more than 80% of our state's almost 4 million registered voters will be casting ballots. But because those ballots only have to be postmarked on November 6th, it means that an untold number may take days - in some cases even weeks - to arrive and then be counted.
Depending on how tight some of the races are, we could spend the next several days wondering which way things shake out.
It's been a puzzle to many as to why our state continues to drag its feet in respect to moving the election day ballot deadline.
In Oregon for example, ballots have to be received by 8pm on election day which generally means that Oregon voters know the results of the election on election night.
Mail in ballots have proven to be a more cost effective way to vote and it increases voter turnout.
But if we have to sit and wait till the weekend to find out who are next governor is going to be, or find out if marriage equality is going to become law, something needs to change.
And that change should be that ballots be received by 8pm on election day.
Have something to say to Ken? Login or signup below to post a comment. Just be sure to read the rules and keep things civil. You can also e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com. You can also connect with Ken on Facebook.
And make no mistake, wait we will.
Washington’s Secretary of State is projecting that more than 80% of our state's almost 4 million registered voters will be casting ballots. But because those ballots only have to be postmarked on November 6th, it means that an untold number may take days - in some cases even weeks - to arrive and then be counted.
Depending on how tight some of the races are, we could spend the next several days wondering which way things shake out.
It's been a puzzle to many as to why our state continues to drag its feet in respect to moving the election day ballot deadline.
In Oregon for example, ballots have to be received by 8pm on election day which generally means that Oregon voters know the results of the election on election night.
Mail in ballots have proven to be a more cost effective way to vote and it increases voter turnout.
But if we have to sit and wait till the weekend to find out who are next governor is going to be, or find out if marriage equality is going to become law, something needs to change.
And that change should be that ballots be received by 8pm on election day.
Have something to say to Ken? Login or signup below to post a comment. Just be sure to read the rules and keep things civil. You can also e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com. You can also connect with Ken on Facebook.
I agree with you on this one, Ken. It would all be neater and easier to have the ballots due by election day.
IMO,  Ballot counts need to be saved until they are all counted. East coust counts held until after the west coast polls close.
Why? It's the Electoral College that determines who will be president not the voting public and they aren't voteing on any other issues the west coat or Hawaii are so what difference does it make?
The democrats don't want them due by election day, b/c if it was, they wouldn't be able to figure out how many votes are needed to stuff the ballot box. Just like in 2004, when it was discovered there were 2,000 more votes than voters in King County. You only get a result like that if you stuff the ballot box.
You are right Ken. Besides I wonder if the voter turnout in King county will be 125% or 130%?
Why does it matter whether we know on Election Day or not? None of these changes go into effect for months.
Oh come on Ken, it gives the Democrats more time to find unregistered homeless people who haven't voted or voted twice yet.
Hay Ken how about all the men and Women that serve over seas in the milatery?? You want to toss them under the bus just as the President is trying??? This state does not give those that have given every thing for our country enough time to get thier ballets and get them post marked by a post office here in the USA before election day as the president is trying to mandate let a long get back to the local balet colection place before election day. Liberals have never thought about the cost of these dumb rules and all the efectts they will have....Or many be they have and that is why they keep pushing them?????
They shouldn't announce ANY election results until the next day - it should be a National news blackout until all the polls are closed. And if we have to wait another day or two? Fine. What would that change? Nothing. Everything doesn't have to be now, now, now!!!! Patience is quickly becoming a lost virtue & that is NOT a good thing.
@LeeAnne
Why? It's the Electoral College that determines who will be president not the voting public and they aren't voteing on any other issues the west coat or Hawaii are so what difference does it make?
I totally agree. Â If you wait until the last minute - go to your local ballot drop off. Â Easy as that. Â Dragging out the election nonsense for additional days is ridiculous. Â
I'll tell you the biggest change that needs to come, and that is reducing the time we have to listen to drivel coming from politicians from a year to one MONTH. At the end of the month, VOTE - guy with most votes is it. We should short circuit the ads altogether and force the candidates to actually disclose and discuss. then no more influence peddling, and people can get on with their life. Further, no more parties in Congress; one legislative body, 1 man or woman per state, decide the issues, write the laws otherwise you don't get paid and can't go home. We did not send these guys to Washington to twiddle themselves and get paid and get perks for doing nothing because they want someone to hold their hand give them their own way and change their diapers for themselves.
 @Common-Tater I often say that there is something to be said for the parliamentary system. Parliament is dissolved, elections are called, and six weeks later they vote. All done. Imagine the amount of money everyone would save...not to mention our sanity after a year or two of non-stop ads....
 @Common-Tater  I completely agree.  Politicians at this point are becoming professional campaigners.  We need to get our politicians back to a time when they're spending more of their time in office on what they were sent there to do and less time trying to get re-elected.  If they spent as much time and money actually legislating as they do campaigning, we would almost certainly be much better off.  Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on political campaigns that could be spent to improve the economy.  Campaign reform needs to happen now.
So, let me get this straight: you clowns don't want voter ID or proof of citizenship to register, but you do want to disinfranchise those who's votes don't make it into an office... because your convineinece is more important then the vote?
Â
Oregon, of course, is an ongoing train wreck of a state. The "they're doing it" arguement is just as childish now as it was when we were tiny children. There's NOTHING wrong with the current system, except a few people don't like it.And frankly, that's not good enough. Leave the system alone.
Â
This article is the direct result of our instant gratification society. Really you can't wait a few days or a couple weeks? We have to up-heave the whole system and risk people not getting their votes counted just because we want the results in yesterday???  When races were close back in the old days we'd have to wait that long or longer while votes were re-counted and re-verified.  Anything that passes won't take effect until Dec or later anyways so really what does it matter people? Having your ballets postmarked by tomorrow or in a drop box by a certain time tomorrow is clear cut and corresponds with election day, you know the day meant for our country to vote? You all are treating the people that mail them in on election day as criminals or dumb just because they don't think or do what you do. They are following the rules and everything gets counted in plenty of time for the amendments to take effect so what does it matter?
Ken, I'm usually with you on most issues, but not this time. IMHO, we all need to learn patience. If mail-in ballots mean more people can exercise their right to vote, then I'm all for it. Despite insanely long election campaigns, we often learn a lot in the last few days before the election. For example we learned that Romney DIDN'T pay taxes before 2010 for many years. We learned that Obama is a President first, a candidate second when he left the campaign trail to personally expedite relief to those impacted by the hurricane. I tell my readers "It it's not broke, don't fix it."Â
Keep up the good work. Just lay off the ballot deadlines. We can wait a couple of days or even a week if necessary. After all, if it's that close, the recounts will take some time anyway.
I've been waiting four years for change, what's 4 days? :-)
Totally agree Ken. About time people take personal accountability to get their ballots cast in a timely manner. For those who are afraid the USPS won't get their ballot delivered by 8pm on election day, we still have drop boxes in most communities where you can drop ballots up until 8pm and they are then collected an included in the count that night. As for military and overseas personnel, they get their ballots early already. If after months (some times up to 2 years) of campaigning and multiple debates you can't figure out who you are going to vote for until 7:59pm on election day, you probably aren't smart enough to have your opinion count anyway.
This is absolutely wrong. Having an earlier deadline might be ok, but the deadline needs to be based on the postmark, not the delivery date. The voter should not be held accountable for the speed of the delivery service. (But really, who gives a crap if we have to wait a few days.)
Although I dont like havingto wait days or weeks to find out the outcome of elections here in WA (If OR can do it on election day why cant we?) I would be happy if they would change the laws to allow for counting before 8PM on election day. That way all the county elections offices can have meaningful data available to the public once the polls close.
My cousins that winter in Arizona had not even RECEIVED their ballots as of Saturday. If not there by tomorrow - they may not get to vote at all.
 @Kate I live in Arizona and the way it works here is you have to sign up to get early mail-in ballots, otherwise you vote in person on election day. I do early ballot, and sent mine in weeks ago.
No.Â
Â
Ken are you going to make sure that the folks in the military overseas will get their ballots in time to return them in time for your arbitrary deadline? Of course not. They'll probably vote conservatively and well, we would want that now would we?
 @Gino Spoken like a true right winger.
 @BobDobbs Actually, I'm independent. I just call BS when I see it.
 @Gino  @BobDobbs If you honestly think all military members are conservative, you are a moron.Â
 @Gino Enforcing a deadline doesn't mean anyone needs to be cut out. Get ballots out a little earlier, and clearly define a postmark deadline that will ensure arrival on-time. Based on postal delivery times, clear expectations could be set for in-state, out of state, and international/military timelines required to allow delivery time
 @morbot They looked at that. They are sending them out as early as they "possibly can" right now.Â
Ken your 100% right!
No news is "good news"
I agree with Ken mostly, however King County is what slows the process up, they have a tiny staff and a very large portion of the state's voting public, so even if the deadline were more strict, it probably wouldn't help that much.
Give it up Ken. Whether I mail it in today and you find out Saturday....or I mail it in last Wednesday and you find out Tuesday night....there is still a lag between when we vote and when we get results. And that's ok. A few extra days to get as many votes in and counted accurately seems like a first world problem to me.
I mailed mine off the day after I got it. I already knew how I was going to vote.
Its the same thing when April 15th rolls around. People have been given months and they still have to get an extension to file their taxes. Those people are always late and they always will be.
 @mstipton The same people you are talking about are the ones with the eternal victim mentality. Time to make people step up and take responsibility for themselves. Set a reasonable deadline and hold people to it. If they can't figure out how they want to vote after months or years of campaigning, maybe they just shouldn't vote.
Only problem with this idea Ken is I could see the IRS imposing a we need your tax return by April 15th or else instead of the postmarked by.
Though with the technology we have now there should be a easier way to get the ballots in on time. It's not like people haven't had them for over a couple of weeks now.
@Major_Payne when you mail in your ballot it needs to be post marked no later then 5 pm November 6th were as you have till 8 pm to hand it in. after 5 PM the post office goes to the next day and then your ballot ends up in the recycle box.
 @wynooheeman I'm on the same side I dropped my ballot off over a week ago. I was playing devil's advocate on the mailing postmark. Most people have had their ballots two weeks (plus or minus a few days) so that should be plenty of time to get hem filled out and turned in.Â
It's not like we haven't been hearing about the people running for along time now.
 @Major_Payne However with all the e-file options for taxes I don't feel bad for people who turn them in late. I do my taxes in January, it's much easier, and I get my refund faster! Most employers give you your w2 and banks give you your stuff by end of January, why would you wait 2 and a half months to do your taxes? That's just silly to me.
Â
Voting is the same way, it takes like half an hour, maybe an hour if you don't know something about a couple candidates. Mail it off immediately!
Some people don't know you can follow your ballot in King Co. Here's a link
http://info.kingcounty.gov/elections/ballottracker.aspx
WOW !!!! My ballet is already in chrissys'  trunk, behind "a" polling place ready to be found "if needed" ....
@EASTSIDE 1 hmmmmâ¦â¦ you voted dem even again huh?
 @Klondiko Cool, thanks for sharing that. My ballot has been received, my signature verified, and it's ready to be counted.
I don't agree... I dropping my ballot off tonight on the way to the gym. In heated elections like this one is to be where we could see very narrow margins on some things a little time is expected now as the norm. Personally between the governor - gay marriage - charter schools - legalize marijuana - and the President - OBAMA there is going to be scrutiny like no other ... may the governor race not turn into a count-count-count-count...count...count again...thing again... same with the presidential election. I don't have a TV at home and if I did I would not turn it on at all from all the political crap that is running constantly... I can only imaging how it is in Ohio and other battleground states - they got to be sick of it by now as well! Lets get this over with so we can actually get back on track for getting what needs to be done finished before more problems distract us again!
The system works just fine the way it is. We have one of the best systems in the country. Doesn't matter if we have to wait till Jan. 1st to know who wins. It just isn't important.
As others have said, it is over two months before those elected take office. If we go to a "received by" requirement, voters who are traveling, stationed overseas, etc. will be denied the same amount of time and information to decide their votes just so impatient people can know the results a few days sooner.
Â
Knowing a few days sooner makes no difference that overrides the responsibility of making the most informed voting decisions possible.
@NeitherParty I understand the concern about that, but with the technology that we have these days, a way could certainly be found for people overseas to have the same rights that we do. Most places have internet access that would provide them with information, and they could provide a secure way of voting...
 @Silvia  @NeitherParty @Silvia, once we have developed a secure online way to vote, along with internet access everywhere, I would agree. It's the "most" places have internet access that is the problem. In the meantime, I have yet to hear a realistic reason why waiting a few days to get results results in any harm to the electoral process.
 @NeitherParty They've got internet access at the South Pole - and that is one of the most isolated spots on the planet. If *they* can do secure stuff via internet, why can't other places?
 @NeitherParty Really? Because the information isn't available before the 6th? People who are undecided at this point either a) aren't paying attention AT ALL! or b) are idiots!
 @AcesHidden Can I get access to your crystal ball so that I too can know what the candidates will do or say on the 5th while I'm voting on the 2nd?