Editor,
The recent election saw long lines of people stretching for a block or more at several early polling places and on Election Day as well. At the early voting sites in both Fishers and Noblesville I saw people turned away because they narrowly missed the closing time, which was 3 p.m. in Fishers and noon on the last early voting day in Noblesville.
Studies have shown that voters who have to wait two to three hours to vote sometimes quit voting in future elections. Indiana’s election hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. also do not help those who have to work long hours and/or commute long distances to work and back and/or have to juggle kids to school.
Mike Boland, who was a recent candidate for state representative, pointed out that there are better ways to conduct elections that boost voter turnout and save millions of tax dollars every election cycle. Oregon, Washington state and Colorado conduct their elections by mail. Oregon has been doing it this way for decades. Every registered voter is mailed a ballot which they can then return by mail or return it in person to the election authorities. On election night the ballots are opened and fed into the counting machine with all parties and the media there to witness. It has been fraud-free and less prone to mistakes in counting and transporting ballots from numerous precincts as done in Indiana.
Pat Otten, Carmel