King County ballot drop-off boxes eliminated

factoid said on January 30, 2010 at 10:52 AM

'bazwest' I agree with 99% of your comment. But if the right to vote ends at 8:00PM, they should give people the ability to vote until that time. By taking the boxes away, they effectively changed this time to when the post office closes. Why was this made public just a few days before the election? My earlier comment is more about the reason given for not providing the boxes. We all know that $140,000 grand could have been cut elsewhere. If you drop off your ballot in the wrong location, they will issue you a new ballot. How much is that going to cost? I am curious what the real reason is for not providing the boxes. I don't believe it is about the money.

bazwest said on January 30, 2010 at 10:30 AM

The source of any outrage or perhaps mock outrage on this issue is really a symptom of a worsening problem in our state and country. It is the flawed notion that government should provide everything anyone wants. Our nation is becoming ever sicker with the so called "entitlement mentality". In my view a person who doesn't value their constitutional right to vote enough to figure out how to set aside enough money for a stamp ought not to vote. Their opinion is not valuable enough to merit counting it . How many of these supposed "stampless" people will go to great lenghtrs to make sure they have enough to pay for a pack of cigarettes, or for premium cable channels, or for a cell phone? Perhaps $140,000 dollars sounds like a drop in the bucket to some, but every penny of it was stripped away from taxpayers who had to go out and earn it first before it was taken away.

erikvoks said on January 30, 2010 at 10:00 AM

While the cost of a stamp isn't going to break the bank, doesn't it in essence constitute a Poll Tax which is illegal ? I think Jesse, Jean or even Jeff Renner better get to the State Attorney General before KIRO beats you to it.

devin713 said on January 29, 2010 at 11:12 PM

It's ironic how "Eliminating the boxes in a 100% mail in county makes prudent fiscal sense." This is the most basic service the government provides yet, suddenly, it is a financial issue. How is this less important than the nonsensical social, art, liberal issues that MUST be supported? ALL AMERICANS MUST REMIND THE ELECTED THAT THEY WORK FOR US!

gablestout said on January 29, 2010 at 9:44 PM

Eliminating the boxes in a 100% mail in county makes prudent fiscal sense. 44 cents (the cost of a stamp), will drive a 20mpg car 2.9 miles, and is only 22% of the cost of a bus ticket. My old polling site was 3.8 miles round trip: cost= 57 cents in gas to drive there. I have a hard time understanding any outrage associated with losing the boxes,or the 3 hours between post office closing and the official 8pm ballot box closing. Sure, that's 3 hours less, but I still have 259 hours left to vote, instead of 262, as of the time I wrote this. Hey, it's a mail in ballot. You can vote as soon as you receive the ballot. You don't have to wait to mail it until election day. As a matter of fact, I've already voted.

factoid said on January 29, 2010 at 7:19 PM

What are these people thinking? Couldn't find anything else to cut? Why is it always, Parks, Police, Social Services, Fire and other services the public uses. How about a freeze on buying new vehicles and equipment? How about cutting administrative or duplicate services? How about reducing the number of County workers standing around a job site from 7 to 4?