Sen. Wyden Calls for National Vote by Mail to Break Down Voting Barriers

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Thursday, April 28, 2016

GoLocalPDX Political Team

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden announced a new campaign to expand an Oregon style vote by mail program nationwide and bring down barriers to voting.

“My home state of Oregon has led the nation in making voting more accessible. No one has to take time off work just to exercise his or her constitutional rights. My proposition is the rest of our country should follow Oregon’s lead and offer all voters a chance to vote by mail," said Wyden. 

Voting Across the Country 

Voters across the country have faced unreasonable delays and new obstacles by voting. This year, voters in Arizona waited in line for up to 5 hours, New York investigating why 126,000 voters were purged from voting rolls, Rhode Island slashed the number of polling places by two thirds and 17 states have also added new voting restrictions. 

“Across the country, there are stories of long lines, inexplicable purges of voter rolls and new requirements that make it harder for citizens to vote. There is no excuse for accepting this state of affairs. There is no excuse for citizens in Arizona to wait five hours to cast their ballot. There is no excuse for citizens in Rhode Island to find two out of every three polling places have closed. There is no excuse whatsoever for poor communities and minority communities across this country to see their polling places shuttered," Wyden added. 

The Plan 

Wyden's draft plan requires every state to provide registered voters the opportunity to cast their ballots in the mail. Under this proposal, all registered voters will receive ballots in the mail weeks before Election Day, allowing them to carefully research candidates ahead of time. 

By being able to cast ballots in the mail, voters will be able to avoid long lines at polling stations and won't have to take time off work to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote. 

Vote by Mail in Oregon 

In 2000, Oregon became the country's first all vote by mail state and since then, has consistently ranked among the states with highest voter turnout in the nation. Oregon voting rates are especially high among young voters and in midterm elections, when turnout traditionally lags. 

The vote by mail law has deterred voter fraud by implementing security measures like a signature authentication system. Election day costs by eliminating the need transport equipment to polling stations and to hire and train poll workers. 

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