The Independent Streak

Mail-In Vote to Cure Florida Primary Woes?

By Mike Lillis 03/11/2008 05:31PM

In the Wall Street Journal yesterday, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (D) proposed what he calls a "practical" way to resolve his state's Democratic primary mess: A revote featuring mail-in ballots.

A mail-in vote -- which Oregon has used successfully for years -- would be cheaper, less cumbersome and more inclusive than attempting at this late hour to stage a full-fledged return to the polls. It also would give voters enough time to take a closer look at the candidates, and further study their positions on the issues. A mail-in vote would also allow us to send ballots to military voters overseas.

A few sentences later, evidently without realizing it, he then reveals why that's probably not the best option:

Mail-in balloting, of course, poses some challenges, including matching the signature on each ballot with the signature on a voter's registration card.

Yikes! How many folks just conjured visions of hanging chads and election officials holding ballots up to the florescent lights of some dismal Broward County basement? Even Wolf Blitzer yesterday pointed out how decidedly impractical that process might be:

I can already see pictures of some guy trying to match signatures to make sure that they're the same, that it isn't fraud.

Did it really require Wolf Blitzer to point that out?

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