Clovis City Clerk John Holt may be onto something with his suggestion that the city consider having the 2009 City Council election conducted entirely by mail. The Bee reported this morning that Holt may ask the City Council to consider an all-mail ballot for Clovis' next municipal election.
Just under 21% of Clovis voters cast ballots in this month's City Council election, which saw three Clovis incumbents elected. Clovis elections are not held with other local and state elections in even-numbered years. The odd-year cycle for Clovis contributes to its low turnout.
Most Clovis voters now cast absentee ballots and going to an all-mail election would not be a big leap. It also would help increase voter turnout in Clovis.
In reading the article "Vote by Mail in Clovis", I think that having the votes conducted by mail will make it easier for some to vote, but you are also taking a vital aspect of voting away. I can still remember the first time I went to a voting poll. I was about ten years old and on the way to school my mother and I stopped at a voting poll. I didn't know exactly what was going on, but a feeling of importance came over me as I watched everyone take role in their patriotic duty. Now that I am old enough, I am able to experience voting for myself. Even though I took the time to get up early to go the voting polls, it made me feel like I was a part of something bigger. If the voting polls are completely erased, I believe a vital part of the voting system will disappear along with it. It is not a chore, it is a right. It's sad to see something that was so important that millions of people died for now being looked at as a chore.