EDITORIAL

Small improvements can make a big difference

Posted 5/24/23

We wholeheartedly endorse a package of six bills before the general assembly seeking to make improvements in the electoral process.

These changes, while not monumental or particularly …

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EDITORIAL

Small improvements can make a big difference

Posted

We wholeheartedly endorse a package of six bills before the general assembly seeking to make improvements in the electoral process.

These changes, while not monumental or particularly headline-grabbing, would make voting a more convenient process for citizens and make the whole process easier on the hardworking individuals in city and town halls across the state who are charged with tallying votes and ensuring the democratic process goes off without a hitch. We fail to see a downside in that endeavor.

Among the most helpful aspects of the proposed bills is the concept of making it less difficult for independent voters to disaffiliate after voting for a specific party in a primary election. There’s enough going on in life without having to worry about changing your voter status after an election to ensure that you can vote in future elections for a different party, if you so choose.

Other procedural changes do no harm, and only increase the amount of time individuals have to cast a ballot, such as the bill that would extend the deadline for mail-in ballots for three days to account for those who apply for one close to the 20-day deadline. Similarly, an extension regarding how long the drop boxes for mail ballots will be open (from 20 days to either 30 or 35 days, depending on which version of the bill is adopted) only increases the period in which people can drop off a vote at their convenience. There are no logical reasons (unless you want to subscribe to unhinged conspiracy theories) to make mail-in voting through drop boxes more difficult — their use is safe and effective and increases access to the democratic process.

Two bills could potentially change things on Election Day, but also in a positive way. Being able to combine low-volume polling locations into more centralized spots makes perfect sense, as it reduces the burden on voting staff and enables them to combine efforts into larger polling places, where it is easier to control traffic and longer lines of people. Similarly, raising the cap from allowing 3,000 registered voters in a polling place to 3,500 will further this effort of optimizing voting on the day of the election.

These small steps can have a big positive impact on the workers and volunteers who spend countless hours checking in voters and processing ballots. They are simple and sensical steps towards creating a better legislative process for all of us.

improvement, difference

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