One consequence of mail-in voting is that the act of democratic participation has a new and important partner, the U.S. Postal Service.
And it’s a good partner. The ease of having a postal worker pick up ballots — and take them where they need to go to be counted — has reversed Utah’s long decline in voter participation. A report on last year’s municipal elections from the Utah Foundation found that all 70 cities that used mail-in voting saw an increase in participation, and the average increase in participation statewide was 52 percent.
Having the people who won’t let rain, sleet or snow stop them from getting the ballots to county clerks is a turning point, but it still lacks the certainty of voters showing up and having an election judge hand them ballots. No one is going to tell a mail-in voter it’s too late to vote.
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