Re: Friday's Meeting with Boulder City and County Clerks

[Paul E Condon <pecondon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sun, Dec 19, 2004 at 09:44:38PM -0700, Ralph Shnelvar wrote:
> Dear all:
> 
> On Sun, 19 Dec 2004 14:37:58 -0700, Joe Pezzillo wrote:
> 
> >
> >12/19/2004
> >
> >Greetings!
> >
...
> 
> It is with great sadness that I must report that it appears that mail
> ballots are "a done deal."  I do not believe that there is the political
> will in Boulder to demand an election where the validity of the ballots
> submitted actually reflect those who are franchised to vote and who actually
> voted their franchise.
> 
> Alisa's comment that a mail ballot election would raise voter participation
> begs the question as to why greater voter participation by those too lazy to
> come to a precinct is a public good.  Indeed, one can surmise that mail-in
> ballots do nothing but increase "noise" in the system because those who do
> not wish to exert the effort to come to a precinct are also unlikely to do
> the necessary research to come to an independent informed decision on
> matters of public trust and policy.
> 
> 
> 
> Having expressed my sadness at the lack of political will regarding mail-in
> ballots, let me say that I was delighted to see the public-spirt mindedness
> of both Alisa Lewis and County CLerk Linda Salas in being willing to
> seriously entertain the hand counting of ballots.
> 
> It is my objective to see that elections are fair and open.  The hand
> counting of ballots will be a huge step in that direction.  Let us hope that
> this huge (but comparitively easy) step is adopted by Boulder.  This is the
> perfect election to try this out.
> 
> Perhaps if we can get the hand counting of ballots, that, then, the
> citizenry will be less cynical about how elections are held in Boulder and
> the turnout will be higher; whether by mail ballots and/or precinct
> elections.
> 
> 
> 
> Both Alisa and Linda presented cost estimates for mail v. precinct
> elections.  Those numbers are publicly available.  If Joe and/or Neal could
> point readers at those numbers, I am sure that the readers would be
> grateful.
> 
> One of the costs that - as far as I can tell - was not included in the
> estimates was the cost of stamps that each citizen who wished to vote would
> have to pay for.  This appears to be an "off budget" item because,
> obviously, the City does not directly pay for this out of funds in the
> City's coffer's.
> 
> At approximately $0.70/ballot, if this cost to the citizens of the election
> were added (and this is money that the citizens are truly spending) then it
> would appear that the true cost of a mail-in ballot to the citizens of
> Boulder vastly exceed the cost of a precinct election.  Yes, the "cost"
> *apparently* drops to zero if the citizen drops off the ballot at a central
> location but then the citizen must make a special trip and that, too, costs
> time and money.
> 
> So, Alisa, I ask you to please consider that the governance of Boulder is
> not government v. citizens; but that the total cost to citizens be the
> appropriate measure of the cost of the election rather than the
> out-of-pocket cost to the government of the City of Boulder.  A mail-in
> ballot is a hidden tax on the citizens of Boulder.
> 
> It is my opinion upon reviewing the numbers that a precinct election would
> reflect a total lower cost to the citizens of Boulder and that that is what
> you, Alisa, as a government official, should be considering as, perhaps, one
> of the major concern.
> 
> 
> Respectfully,
> 
> Ralph Shnelvar

I have some difficulty with least cost estimates as a justification
for a particular course of action in government affairs. There are
usually policy considerations that far out weigh cost
considerations. This is a such a case. I agree with Ralph that there
is merit in having precinct balloting, but I think he should not
object to the details of a least cost calculation.  The cost of a
flawed balloting process is unknowable and very large. 

But what Ralph, and I, consider a flaw may not be considered a flaw
by others. Pretending it is just a matter of cost accounting is itself
certainly a flaw. 

-- 
Paul E Condon           
pecondon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx