Whatcom joins 5 other 'mail vote only' counties

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS   13 January 2005

BELLINGHAM Whatcom County has joined the very short list of Washington counties where voting is done only by mail.

The proposal, approved unanimously by the County Council late Tuesday, is expected to save $1.6 million.

Five other counties Clallam, Ferry, Okanogan, Pend Oreille and Skamania already have gone to mail-only balloting.

Under the ordinance, Whatcom County will abandon its more than 40 polling places and create vote-by-mail precincts, each with fewer than 200 active voters, as required by state law.

Voters will cast fill-in-the-bubble ballots by mail or at official county -off sites. Seven touch-screen voting devices will be available for people with disabilities.

The changes, proposed by Whatcom County Auditor Shirley Forslof, come as the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002 terminates use of punch card-style ballots.

If poll voting were continued, the county would have to buy more than 300 touch-screen devices at an initial cost of $1.6 million.

Forslof's plan will cost about $18,958.

She says it will take several months to redraw the county's voting precincts. Her goal is to have vote-by-mail in place before the November elections.

Three-fourths of the county voters cast absentee ballots in the last election, said Councilwoman Sharon Roy.

"I doubt there will be a rush of confusion on Election Day."