Decision 2014: Will the vote-by-mail process get more people to the polls?

“If you’re a registered voter in Colorado you should have already received a vote-by-mail ballot for the upcoming general election November 4.

But is vote-by-mail an effective tool to boost turnout?

“By enlarge, if you have a ballot arrive in your mailbox, that’s a much bigger incentive than knowing sometime on Election Day I have to get to the polling place and cast my vote,” Bob Loevy, a Colorado College political science professor said.

While Loevy advocates voting by mail, voters in Colorado Springs have differing opinions. Some enjoy the flexibility of voting from home, others worry people will procrastinate until it’s too late.

“With all the commercials and political jargon, I’m just ready to have it over,” Colorado Springs voter Richard Vansickle said. “I want to get my ballot, get it done and move on.”

“I am the type of voter who prefers going to the polling place,” another voter said. “It’s a wonderful freedom we have here in our country. The mail system is burdened. I am concerned people will let the ballot sit on the side, on their kitchen tables and forget to do it on time.”

Lovey believes the biggest benefit to vote-by-mail is that it’s easier for people to become informed.

“A real difference is families sit together and get to talk about the candidates,” the expert said. “Keep in mind, people have other things to do than pay attention to politics. They have families to raise and jobs to go to. Vote-by-mail eliminates the problem for most voters of having to get to a polling, place, wait in line and cast your vote on a machine that’s hard to understand.”

According to the Secretary of State’s Office in less than a week, more than 80,000 ballots statewide have been marked and returned.