‘Election Day’. One day in which to elect someone? A strange and foreign concept to one-party Democrat areas which have gotten used to the notion of Election Week or Month, and to election deadlines as suggestions. Now Democrats are worried that actually having to have elections on Election Day instead of Election Year, Election Decade or Election Century will wreak havoc on them.
They’re also baffled by the very concept of having a vote and a final vote count on Election Day.
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on March 16 in a case out of Mississippi that could require all ballots containing federal races to be physically received by Election Day, not just postmarked by it.
Washington is one of the most vote-by-mail-friendly states in the country. Ballots postmarked by Election Day are currently accepted if received days or even weeks afterward. That would end for any race involving a federal office.
If the court rules the way the arguments suggested, the change will take effect this November. Not in two years. This November. Washington voters casting ballots in congressional races would need to physically have their ballots in hand at an elections office or drop box by Election Day. Postmarked by Election Day but not arriving at the election office until a couple of days later would no longer be enough.
McKenna said Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and state election officials need to get ahead of this immediately. The next congressional election is roughly seven months away.
“I think they’d better be preparing a public communications program to let voters know that if their ballot has federal races on it, they’d better get it in by Election Day,” McKenna said.
McKenna was careful not to overstate it.
“I think the republic will survive this as well,” he said.
If the Republic can survive Democrats having to vote on Election Day, instead of two weeks later, it can survive anything.
