Why I Love Vote By Mail

I just voted in Washington's primary election - or I should say, I am in the middle of voting since I still have to drop my ballot off by 8 p.m. today for it to be counted.

I voted using an optical scanning ballot, printed in relatively large print.  I could use either blue or black ink to fill in my choice, and the boxes were fairly large.  If I made a mistake and marked the wrong choice, the instructions were clear on how to fix it.

Most of my votes were in uncontested races, or races where the choices were obvious.  However, I had to vote in some nonpartisan judge's races that I had forgotten about.  In the past, when I had to vote in a booth, I'd often just skip these races, figuring that no vote was better than a vote for the wrong dude.

Today, I voted at my desk in my home office.  When I got to these races, a quick check on the Internet found recommendations at the NW Progressive Institute.  Apparently, there are some good incumbent judges who are being challenged by some real right wing nut jobs.  I didn't just take their word for it, but it just took a few more minutes to confirm their endorsements.

After a few more minutes filling out boxes, I'm done and I'm confident that I voted the way that I want.  If I wanted, I could make a copy of the ballot before I sent it, so that I can remember who I voted for tomorrow when the results come out.  But I don't bother.

The instructions for sealing up the outer envelope are a little on the confusing side, but I figure that out and soon the ballot is ready to go.  

I have to say that I just love voting this way:
--it's private.
--I don't have to wait in line.
--I can do some quick research if I need it.
--I can take as much time as I want without inconveniencing anyone else.
--There's a paper record of my ballot.
--It's less expensive for the county to run elections this way.

Most importantly:
--I can integrate the voting process into the rest of my life much more easily: I can do the voting part when I have time to concentrate on it, and I can drop off the ballot when I'm out doing other things.  I don't have to build my life on election day around making it to the polls.