06/18/2005: "Gaylord Guest Editorial"

Opposed To The Elimination Of Poll Voting.

Count me as one elected official opposed to the elimination of poll voting.

I have fond memories of polling places. I married my wife, Marny, at the Olga polling place, and I returned there the night of the 1994 General Election to get the first returns on my race for Prosecutor. I was leading by a five-vote margin of 55 to 50.

The poll workers in Eastsound will recall that I would often bring my children with me to vote in the last fifteen minutes before the polls closed. After signing my name, talking to the weary poll workers, and then voting, we would wait until 8 PM - at which time Ken would bellow out, "The polls are now closed!" Voting was more than a ritual. It was a civic duty.

The act of going to the polling place assures that the people who vote truly do live in the community. A person probably someone you know confirms your identity and your address. You are given one ballot and you cannot vote another ballot that is sent to your household. If you make a mistake on your ballot, you have the chance to correct it before the ballot is counted.

There is no question that more people vote by mail than at the polls. But, as the recent Governor¹s election proves, mail ballots increase the margin of error in an election because of the difficulty in identifying voters, and problems in accounting for all ballots sent and received. Some of the problems you have heard about in King County have also occurred in San Juan County. If there is another close election, these errors could change the outcome of the election.

(Note: Mr. Gaylord is the San Juan County Prosecutor)