John MacMurray supports Vote-By-Mail for Orange County

You would think that an idea that would not only help a government agency run better but save the taxpayers significant money in the bargain would be, well, a bargain. And you would also think that those who brand themselves fiscal conservatives would be leading the charge on getting these ideas put into practice.

But when it comes to letting California's counties put one of these ideas, a Vote-By-Mail (VBM, in shorthand) system modeled on Oregon's 30-year success story, into place it's the state's Democratic legislators who are taking the lead and Republican legislators who are fighting the change. Orange County Registrar Neal Kelley has concluded that a VBM system would save the county approximately $200,000 per election, increase overall vote security, and increase voting opportunities for voters with disabilities.

These thoughts and similar dollar savings were also noted by John Hodges, Head Elections Official for San Benito County, which was to be a pilot site for a VBM program authored by State Senator Carol Liu, a Democrat from La Cañada-Flintridge.

Looking at the last three attempts to allow (not require) California counties to put a VBM system into place resulted in Senator Liu's Senate Bill 867 (2006); Assemblymember Joe Coto (D-San Jose) offering Assembly Bill 2249 (2006); and Assembly Bill 1654 (2007) from Assemblymember Jared Huffman (D-Petaluma). All three bills died in committee after being subjected to "unspecified concerns".

Voters in Orange County are entitled to a better-running and more cost-efficient voting system. An amount in excess of $200,000 saved every election would help fund the county's schools and emergency services. However, it's not up to the Registrar to decide; these are state-level statutes and those laws don't allow a complete VBM system.

So, isn't it time voters put the interests of Orange County ahead of the interests of the voting machine companies? As a representative in Sacramento, John MacMurray will fight to get the laws changed to work for voters in his district. And he'll let voters know why the changes are not being made.

For more information, visit John MacMurray's webiste at macmurray4the72nd.com.