Vote by mail - leave a paper trail!

In a recent NY Times article on a growing trend towards absentee voting, John Broder focused on the woes of campaign managers who could no longer time a blitz of last-minute advertisements to reach voters just before Election Day. However, he omitted mention of two major reasons that Democrats and progressives are increasingly choosing to vote by mail.

The first is paranoia, justified or not, regarding the accuracy and security of electronic voting machines being manufactured by companies with ties to the Republican party. Votes by mail could still be stolen, but it would take more work, and a paper trail would exist at least transiently. Poor and minority voters who experienced or heard reports of long lines and harrassment at the polls in the 2004 election also have a compelling reason to cast their ballots by mail.

For these reasons, King County officials in Washington State have been campaigning aggressively for citizens to register to vote by mail in this year's election and plan to switch eventually to a mail-only system: http://www.metrokc.gov/elections/votebymail/
The deadline for King County is today, October 23. What about in your county? Register now!