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June 11, 2009
Consumerism Comes to the Voting Booth
Hamilton County election officials hope that state lawmakers will expand "convenience voting" statewide, according to a report by Matt Wilson in Thursday's Chattanooga Times Free Press. Knox County was given an opportunity last year to test the system, which replaces traditional precinct voting with a fewer number of centers at which any registered voter can cast a ballot.
At first glance, such a move would embody a natural progression that began with early voting. In this county, early voting usually involves three locations, and any voter can use any of the locations. Then, on Election Day, voters who did not use early voting must attend their prescribed precinct locations. With convenience voting, the come-one-come-all centers would simply be extended to the actual election day.
Even if we leave cost concerns aside for the moment, the idea has definite pros--and some potential cons. Personal experience at an early voting-only location on election days suggests that a lot of citizens would find it easier to just go to "where they voted last time," or to the Election Commission office, or to the mall. Then there is the matter of properly trained election workers, as mentioned in the article. We'll come back to this.
But on the other hand, what about turnout? In a perfect world, somewhere above 89% of registered voters would participate in elections. In such a world, convenience centers vs. precincts wouldn't matter. But we know the truth: in this year's municipal elections, fewer than one in five bothered to show up. Would changing to fewer locations affect the outcome in some races? I don't know the answer, but it is a question worth pondering.
And perhaps I'm nostalgic, but there is something so essentially patriotic about going to a town hall, church gym, or other community center on Election Day and seeing the familiar faces of voters and election workers alike. I could live without that, I suppose. But could everyone?
This idea will have to be given further thought.
Hat tip: Post Politics
Elections | By joe lance | 9:53 AM
