The August 11 primary election is just around the corner.
Well, that’s true. And it’s not true.
Although “election day” is August 11, the election is already underway. I understand the first absentee ballots have already been mailed, and some registered voters are already casting their ballots. So the election isn’t “just around the corner.” It’s already happening.
But our election system still hasn’t adjusted, as certain legally required disclosures designed to allow the public to fully evaluate the candidates and the nature of their political support have yet to be filed.
For example, candidates for state office have to file personal financial disclosures with the State Ethics Commission. And when are those due? Today, July 23.
Will they be available for online viewing? And, if so, when? Unknown. I’ll check with the commission later today. But even if they suddenly become available today, their usefulness to voters and to rival candidates are limited by the late availability. The deadline for filing is “20 days prior to the primary election day, but that is no longer appropriate to the new, unfolding election that begins early with absentee balloting and extends through election day. In practice, August 11 is the end of the extended election, not “election day” as we thought of it in the past.
Similarly, over at the Campaign Spending Commission, corporations and PACs have a reporting deadline coming up on Friday, July 27. So disclosures by the groups that have been saturating television and radio with campaign attacks won’t be made public until it’s too late to inform at least some votes.
One solution–Candidates for city offices are required to file financial disclosures with the Honolulu Ethics Commission within ten days of the filing deadline. The state needs to adopt a similar timetable, pegging various disclosures either to the filing deadline for candidates, or to a set period before the first votes can be cast. This would give enough time to review the available data and communicate any issues to the public before voting begins.
The current calendar only makes sense if no one really wants to see those public interest disclosures be effective. Oh…why does that surprise me?
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As Ian points out, “In practice, August 11 is the end of the extended election, not ‘election day as we thought of it in the past.” So now Ian correctly points out the need to skew the reporting deadlines for candidate ethics and campaign spending disclosures, to be sure such information is available to the public before people BEGIN casting their early-voting or absentee ballots. What a mess!
I have never liked any of the processes allowed in recent years whereby absentee voting and early voting have become ordinary, routine, and widely used. I always vote in person at the polling place on “election day” (except once about 40 years ago when I was featured speaker at an academic conference in a different city, and at that time the elections law [different state] required me to provide proof of my good excuse for being absent on election day, at the time I went to the county clerk’s office to pick up the absentee ballot).
Having a voting period lasting for a couple of weeks, with lots of people voting early in that period, makes it extremely hard for candidates to schedule their advertising and their public debates for maximum effectiveness; and the voters who vote early miss out on the last-minute flurry of information that might cause them to change their minds. If voters choose to vote early, they should know that by doing so they forfeit their right to know any candidate disclosures or opposition research that will come out later. I have no sympathy for them, and feel no need to burden candidates or the bureaucracy in order to accommodate such foolish voters.
So, rather than follow Ian’s suggestions for changing the deadlines for candidate disclosures, I would rather change the permissiveness for early and absentee voting to make it much more difficult to vote before the officially scheduled “election day.” The latest push, for people to sign up for permanent absentee voting, is especially abominable.
This topic is clearly related to another recent topic; i.e., how to increase the percentage of eligible voters who actually vote. Personally I don’t mind if lots of people don’t vote. Their non-voting makes my own vote proportionally more weighty. If someone doesn’t understand the issues and isn’t willing to go out of his way to take the time to vote, then I’d rather not have him voting. What a contrast to the attitude of our Founding Fathers who pledged “our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor” to establish a nation in which they would have the right to vote.
It is a grand mess with precincts merged and people confused. I am anticipating a record low turnout on Big Island, if not the state,
I rather agree with Ian here re: adjusting the date for the finance filing – but I’m not willing to give up my permanent absentee status; the convenience is awesome, imho. I got my ballot Friday or Saturday, voted, and it’s going in the mail today. No having to drive to the school, no having to stand in line. The only thing I don’t like is having to sign my name on the OUTSIDE of the ballot envelope, which also includes my mailing address. I think that could easily be a security and/or identity-theft problem.
It makes sense that the disclosure law should coincide better with the timing of the election. We could probably debate the point as to whether a critical number of voters actually look up disclosure statements (I know I don’t) but you can’t really make the horse drink, can you?
As far as absentee ballots go, I would think the underlying premise is to increase or at the very least stop the slide downwards and make it as convenient as possible to vote.
I actually think those who vote absentee are as informed if not more so than the average voter. After all, the mere act of requesting an absentee is indicative of some commitment.
Those who request an absentee vote at a much higher level than those who merely register to vote.
Furthermore, my hunch is that those who vote early know already who they are going to vote for. For example, if I support Cayetano today, I will support Cayetano on Aug. 11.
If I’m undecided today, I can always mail in my ballot in a few weeks.