California Voters Set Precedent With Mail-In Ballots

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - For the first time in a general election, more than half of California voters were expected to cast ballots by mail. That, in turn, meant that results of closer races could be delayed for several days.

KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:

A recent Field Poll predicted that 55% of California voters would do so by mail in the hotly contested 2010 midterm election.

"You have more time, you can consult outside information sources while you're in the act of voting. You can talk to other people and get their input," Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo explained the attraction. "Voters just seem to think it gives them more opportunities for a thoughtful vote."

DiCamillo described mail-in voting as a trend that skyrocketed after the state's permanent mail ballot registry was created.

"The registrar of voters in your county automatically sends you a mail ballot before each election, three weeks before each election. So you don't have to do anything, you'll automatically get the ballot by mail," he said. "2002 is actually when the permanent mail ballot registry came into existence. So with that easy process for being sent these mail ballots, it's accelerated the change over to mail ballot voting for a lot of voters."

DiCamillo credited the mail ballot registry for being a streamlined process.

"That really has expanded the number of voters, because it makes it really easy. You don't have to request it each election."

However, mail-in ballots didn't necessarily translate into a more streamlined process for elections officials.

"It's very time consuming and involved and you have to take the right number of steps and do it right or you won't have a proper counting," Contra Costa County registrar Steve Weir described the verification and handling procedure for mail-in ballots.

Weir estimated that 20% of mail-in ballots would be turned in on election day.

"Our biggest vote by mail day is election day because people turn in their ballots at the polls," he said. "If there's anything close, here's what I think registrars are going to be telling you: we'll be doing an update on Friday and then see what else we can get into the count."

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