PD Editorial: Vote by mail in the age of coronavirus

California has been moving slowly toward vote-by-mail for years. If officials need an excuse to take the state the rest of the way, the novel coronavirus with its social distancing and self- isolation should provide more than enough.

The best option to ensure that all Americans get a chance to vote and practice social distancing is to vote by mail. The risk of spreading coronavirus isn't isolated just to voters, either. Poll workers tend to be older and therefore more vulnerable to the virus. Fewer volunteers would be needed to count mailed ballots.

In California, switching shouldn't be hard. Already the majority of voters cast mail ballots. Three-quarters of primary voters statewide received a mail-in ballot. In Sonoma County the rate was even higher - perhaps 85%.

The state makes it easy to vote by mail. Voters can request a mail-in ballot or sign up for permanent vote-by-mail. The ballot comes with a prepaid return envelope. As long as it's postmarked by Election Day and received no more than three days after, it counts. Voters may also drop them off. A change would be just to bring in the final holdouts.

California lucked out on the timing of its presidential primary this year. Many states that haven't voted are postponing their elections. We got it in just before the pandemic shut everything down.

But there's always another election on the horizon. Two local measures in Sonoma County will appear on a May 5 special election ballot, and there's a very good chance we'll still be social distancing. Fortunately, those were planned as mail elections. Then there's the November general election, which will include the presidential contest. Even if everything is mostly back to normal, worries about coronavirus in the wild might linger.

Presidential elections have occurred during the Civil War and both world wars as well as other emergencies, including a flu pandemic in 1918. Now isn't the time to upend electoral norms.

Vote-by-mail works well in other states. Oregon has used it exclusively for two decades, and four more states have gotten on board. None has reported problems or cheating above normal, and their turnout tends to be much higher than national rates. If people can take their time at the kitchen table to carefully review everything on the ballot and send it in at their convenience rather than wait in line on Election Day, it's only natural that more would exercise their right to vote.

California already allows counties to hold their elections by mail under a 2016 law called the “Voter's Choice Act.” Napa County and several others have opted in. Under the current circumstances, it should not be an option but a new statewide policy.

U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, have introduced a bill that would provide funding and guidance to help states transition as soon as possible. If it passes, California potentially could tap into some of that support. Moving to a new election system will require education and outreach to voters, especially those who love the old way.

Voting by mail is secure, reliable, encourages more people to participate and is less likely to spread a virus. It's time for California to embrace it statewide.

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