SACRAMENTO — In the last statewide primary election two years ago, more than 12,500 mail-in ballots in Riverside County were nearly invalidated because of what postal officials described as "a change in process" that caused them to be delivered after Election Day.
They were ultimately counted, but only after a judge ordered it.
Secretary of State Debra Bowen now worries that an election nightmare on a much larger scale could be repeated this year unless the Postal Service delays its planned closure of 18 mail processing centers in California until after November's presidential election.
Bowen is appealing to postal officials and members of Congress to extend for six months a moratorium on the closures that is scheduled to expire May 15.
"This has the potential to leaves thousands and thousands of ballots uncounted," Bowen said Wednesday. "We need the post office not to do it. It would be a profound disservice to democracy."
A sample of what could be in store for much of the state already has been experienced in Ventura County, after a distribution center in Oxnard was closed in July. Bowen's office reports that the closure increased the time required for vote-by-mail ballots to reach elections officials to five to seven days. It had been one to three days.
The Oxnard center is one of three of the 18 targeted centers that already have been closed. Fifteen centers from San Diego to Redding are still on the chopping block.
"I'm in complete agreement with Secretary Bowen on what she's trying to do," said Ventura County Clerk-Recorder Mark Lunn, who last fall took extraordinary steps designed to ensure that no ballots would be left stranded at the new processing center for west county mail in Goleta.
Lunn dispatched vans to be standing by at the Goleta center at the poll-closing deadline of 8 p.m. Election Day. It turned out that no ballots had been stranded there during November's low-turnout local elections.
"We were lucky," he said.
The timely processing of vote-by-mail ballots is critical in California, where more voters are choosing mail-in voting over in-person balloting. In the June 2010 statewide primary, 58 percent of all votes came through the mail. In the November 2010 general election, a record 4.9 million vote-by-mail ballots were cast.
Bowen said she understands the Postal Service might have to close the distribution centers but thinks closures should be delayed until after November to give election officials time to better plan for how to deal with the effects on future mail ballots.
"This is a problem we can work our way through if we have enough time," she said. "We can adjust, but it's going to take time."
For instance, under current law voters can request a mail-in ballot up until a week before Election Day. That deadline might have to be reviewed if it takes five to seven days for outbound and inbound ballots to reach their destination.
In addition, Bowen said, efforts would have to be made to re-educate California voters, who in the past have always been told they should mail their ballots by the Friday before an election to ensure they arrive on time.
Bowen said that on a recent visit to Washington, D.C., she discussed the issue with Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer as well as about a dozen members of the California delegation to the House of Representatives.
All were aware of the cost-cutting measures being contemplated by the Postal Service, she said, "but nobody was focusing on the closing of processing centers and how it would affect voting."
There are many challenges for elections officials this year, Bowen said, including implementing new political districts and handling the new top-two primary system that will be used statewide for the first time in June.
But of all the potential challenges, none is more severe than the potential for late ballots if additional processing centers are closed, Bowen said.
"For me, it's the No. 1 priority this year," she said.
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Comments » 30
horsespinner#218774 writes:
That is the way the gov runs things. Although it is a "private" company. It will take 10 months to figure out how to get mail from place X to place Y. They know it will be posted the two weeks prior to November, all the forwarding addresses are the same, and they quantity of about 5 million pieces. And you wonder why we are bankrupt. Of course she could be paying back unions, naw, that would be double speak, that would never happen here.
Lets_Be_Truthful writes:
Yes it would cause trouble. The Dems would lose the advantage of voter fraud by mail.
starkly writes:
The only recent actual cases of vote fraud have had Republicans as culprits. Just two weeks ago, the Indiana Secretary of State was found guilty on six felony charges and forced out of office. I'm guessing you didn't hear much about that on Fox News. Before that, it was that was James O'Keefe's buddies trying to prove something by committing voter fraud, and then when they were caught, arguing they were just trying to make a point. Ah, such patriots!
Democrats don't need to cheat -- far more Americans are registered Democrats than Republicans. Rather than make up baloney accusations, perhaps you should find a way to help your party appeal to more Americans instead of demonizing them?
carthomas7 writes:
Bowen has been great ALWAYS As Assemblymember she tried to curtail redevelopment agencies which are dead now She also proposed PER CAPITA Sales tax distribution, to stop the zoning for sales tax dollars Told that to my CM & she/he thought that was unfair!! These people do NOT get it!!
THROW THE BUMS OUT NOW!!!
madman805 writes:
OH GOD NOT THE MAIL IN BALLOTS!!!!!! Im more worried about my S.I swimsuit mag getting here than some dumb mail ballots
ARealRealityCheck writes:
OMG...(not Oh My God...but Obama Must Go)...but I digress...
More scare mongering from the Democrats. So what else is new? It's simple, mail in your ballot, a day or two after you get it...or...if you think you won't make it through the mail...just drive the two blocks to your precinct on election day and drop it off...takes two seconds.
I imagine Bowen didn't tell you guys there are two days for voting this year: Republicans vote on Tuesday, Nov. 6...and the Democrats, Wednesday, Nov. 7.
hikermor writes:
I continually marvel at how some people can politicize anything, including honest effort to conduct fair elections and make the process work well.
cagal writes:
Gosh, what a problem! What do we do? Wake up people...MAIL IN THE BALLOTS A WEEK PRIOR TO ELECTION DAY!!! Gee, that was so hard to figure out.
Snafu writes:
Why don't they stop mail delivery on Saturdays? I'm sure that would save a significant amount of money. But perhaps that's a union issue...
BobOzza writes:
Close the USPS Centers stop the Tax Payer hemorrhage.
The USPS is nothing but a mismanaged, misdirected business.
USPS Directors, managers, and other top bloated positions continue to get bloated salaries and bloated pensions.
They all just stand there with heads up their @zz. Or sit in the office doing nothing.
The only ones doing the real work are the Carriers, who deliver rain or shine!
harrypotter writes:
Talk about mismanagment? In 2006, the Repube controlled Congress passed legislation that requires the U.S. Postal Service to prefund 75 years of retirement health care benefits for its employees over a period of only 10 years. What buinsess would ever even consider doing that?
http://www.delawareonline.com/article...
WiggleRoom writes:
As well as the Republicans who vote by mail.
Lets_Be_Truthful writes:
Republicans vote in California? :D
ducchun#204641 writes:
or vote the old fashion way. Go to the polls early and vote. Bring your ID for verification.
IsthisAmerica writes:
Does that mean we would NOT get any JUNK Mail anymore? Or useless Election Mail?
rebel123 writes:
The bigger issue is that closing all these postal offices will NOT bring the USPS budget into line. Collectively all the offices slated for closure amount to only four-tenths of one percent of the post office's annual budget. The bizarre 2006 law requiring them to pre-fund retiree benefits for 75 years, which has been grossly OVER FUNDED, however accounts for 85% of the red ink on their books. FIX THAT FIRST! Don't but another quarter of a million people out of work.
raylaw43#321876 writes:
I think that you must be confused. Democrats and Independents vote this year on Tuesday, Nov.6, and Republicans on November 7.
Of course, in order to vote, you have to show your photo party membership card. In order to vote absentee, you must really be absent from the precinct. I understand that the California Republican Party has hired Blackwater to go to every address showing absentee ballots at 6 AM on the proper election day to verify absence.
I also understand that active military serving overseas will not be allowed to vote by absentee ballot. They will have to return home to drive two blocks to their precinct to vote.
Not only must we take the USPS out of the ballot box, we must eliminate voter fraud.
Please verify that Republican election day is Nov.7.
rebel123 writes:
There is absolutely no sound evidence of any sort of voter fraud on any scale for either party. Sure, makes for great inflammatory rhetoric, but it's simply not there. Perhaps you should stick to verifiable facts.
Lets_Be_Truthful writes:
Just poking fun at those conspiracy theorists.
jjohnjj writes:
Still enjoying that cheap electricity from Enron? Glad your home mortgage is safe with Countrywide? Still depositing your paycheck at Washington Mutual?
Some things are too important to be left to the "free market".
I've got nothing against UPS and FedEx, but here's how it works: Corporations give money to PACs. PACs help elect Republicans to office. Republican legislators cut taxes on the wealthy and slash funding to public services. Then the talk-radio heads spread the lie that public services are "wasteful", justifying further cuts. Then the corporations offer to provide those services to the public, with long-term contracts and "minimum purchase" clauses that guarantee a profit.
All we're doing is transfering the "power to tax" from elected representatives to faceless Wall Street bankers. When you take away a government's power to communicate with its citizens, you are taking away part of its sovereignty.
A public postal service is our guarantee that the free-market alternatives will not consolidate into a monopoly.
We don't expect the military to pay for itself. We don't expect the courts to pay for themselves. Universal postal service is no less important to a free nation. It's worth paying for.
rebel123 writes:
All excellent points.
raylaw43#321876 writes:
I do not know why the general election is on the first Tuesday of November. Voting should take place on Saturday and Sunday. People could vote before or after football games.
With absentee ballots, we have a 3 week voting time. Why not eliminate precincts and simply have mail ballots. They could put ballot boxes in every supermarket, and we could vote as we shopped.
As far as any issue of voter fraud, as has been touted by Republicans, including our esteemed Congressman, the technology is available: E-Verify.
kenternst writes:
What a lame alarmist. Try worrying about something important that actually has a possibility of happening and having a pronounced negative effect on the public, like out of control state union pensions.
rebel123 writes:
Frankly, I'm concerned that they are considering putting another 250,000 people out of work in a move that will do almost nothing to fix the post office balance sheet! That is alarming as all hell to me!
Lets_Be_Truthful writes:
Let's not forget that both sides use are using Super PAC's and receive money from special interest groups pressing their own agendas.
hikermor writes:
Please understand that you do not present ID to vote. Verification is by your signature.
ducchun#204641 writes:
Requiring voters to authenticate their identity at the polling place is necessary to protect the integrity of elections and access to the voting process. Every illegal vote steals or dilutes the vote of a legitimate voter.
Wydo writes:
What this is, is karma for the Republicans. Republicans have been trying to kill the United States Post Office for years now. Republicans in Congress have cut the Post Office’s funding. Now their absentee ballots may not get counted for this primary election. Ha Ha! Sense Republicans hate the Post Office so much, I suggest that they Fedex their absentee ballots in for the November election or do like Democrats do, walk in to the polls.
TomcatDriver writes:
So you would deny 5000 people the right of having their legal votes counted to stp 2 illegal omes.
LMAO.
Jacobin writes:
Let me see if I have this right. Bowen wants the USPO to postpone their strategy to remain viable for 6 months because she's ineffective at her job and lacks any kind of foresight at all...
She should be fired yesterday...
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