The writer is a former 52nd District Court judge in Novi and assistant state attorney general. He's chief financial officer of the Justice Speakers Institute and a Deadline Detroit contributor.
By Brian MacKenzie
The 2018 Michigan election saw lousy weather across the state, long lines, malfunctioning voting machines and polling places that ran out of printed ballots.
Of course, Michigan was not alone. Broken voting machines in Dallas, Texas created lines that lasted up to four hours. Early voting in Georgia had lines that lasted six hours and longer. Vote counting in California seems to last forever and there were endless discussions about provisional ballots in Florida. Everywhere our voting system seemed to be creaking and then breaking down on election day. Everywhere that is except for Oregon. Elections there are different.
In Oregon every citizen is automatically registered when they apply for a driver’s license or state identification. Those who can’t get to the Secretary of State’s office can register to vote online. After registering, a citizen receives a voter identification card. At that point, if they wish, they can return the card with a preprinted form and opt out of voting. Each time an individual renews their license they also renew their voter registration. As a result, there is no need for the state to spend time and money endlessly culling voter lists to delete those who have died or moved. his results in registration of ninety-four percent of eligible voters in Oregon.
Smoother process elsewhere
Michigan celebrated a record 55-percent turnout. In Oregon, a 70-percent turnout happened with no lines, no broken voting machines or other problems found in many states. Everyone there votes from home.
It works like this: About three weeks before an election, Oregon’s Secretary of State sends a voter information pamphlet to every household. These pamphlets are also available at any Secretary of State's office and online. The pamphlet contains information about every candidate and ballot issue.
Shortly after that, ballots are mailed to every registered voter. This allows each person to spend as much time as they need reviewing the ballot before making their decision and casting a vote. They can then either mail the ballot back or drop it in one of the thousands of ballot drop boxes placed throughout Oregon. State worker pick up the ballots each day from the boxes and take them to voting centers. All ballots must be received by 8:00 P.M. on election day.
On Election Day each ballot is counted by voting machines ensuring that there is a paper trail for every vote. The paper trail reduces the likelihood of vote tampering either online or in person. With only one ballot mailed to each voter, he or she can only vote one time. It is impossible to go back to a polling place to vote again, whether disguised or not, as there are no polling places. But these are not the only protections from fraud that Oregon has enacted.
Saving time and expense
To identify potentially illegal votes, an Electronic Registration Information Center crosschecks voter registration data. Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, a Republican, says: “Oregon is proof that states can have few impediments to voting and few problems with fraud.”
Washington and Colorado also let people vote at home. In an editorial praising this system, The Seattle Times wrote:
For Washingtonians who voted by mail, seeing video of people waiting hours to vote last week in Georgia was excruciating. It was like watching someone use a dial-up modem in the age of broadband.
The editorial quoted Secretary of State Kim Wyman, also a Republican: “In the modern era, we shouldn’t be having lines around the block….”
At home voting also saves money. According to the organization Non-Profit Vote, Oregon’s at home voting system saves the state about three million dollars per election cycle. A study of Colorado’s at home voting by the Pew Charitable Trust concluded that it reduced election related expenses by 40 percent. These are savings that a state like Michigan can use to spend on other things, like our roads.
By approving Proposition 3 this month, Michiganians took a large step towards Oregon's model.
As a result, our constitution now provides for automatic voter registration when a person applies for a drivers license or state identification, same day voter registration, and unrestricted at home voting for everyone. The legislature took us a little closer by passing online voter registration. By taking the final step to get rid of expensive polling places and then mailing ballots to all registered voters our legislature and governor would save the state money and enhance voter turn out. Michigan’s political leaders have all pledged to work across party lines, enacting home voting for everyone would be a very good start.
