Thursday, September 18, 2008

Needless hassle on a California ballot application

I was filling out my absentee ballot application for California and I came across this curiosity: You must fill out on the application form the date the application form is due. To make clear to voters this is an essential aspect of the application, the cut-out form includes a notice right above it stating: "You must enter the date and type of the election, as well as the last day the application must be received by the election official" (emphasis added). Can anyone tell me why this last piece of information is essential on the application? Is there any reason for having it other than disenfranchising and/or irritating voters?

The California Secretary of State website does not list the due date in any obvious location. It does applications are due seven days before Election Day, but this still leaves applicants scrambling for their calendars to try and figure out which date in October this turns out to be.

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