Second in a series.
Re: “Clarke’s All-Mail Faith Is Not Shaken”
A wry smile stole across City Councilman Jim Clarke’s face when he was asked the following question after a voting-by-mail proposition that he championed died on Monday night:
What did you think of the U.C. Davis research project on voting-by-mail that showed standout negative elements?
“It’s interesting because I am the one who sent it out (to his Council colleagues),” Mr. Clarke said.
“I guess I should have read it over a lot closer.”
Indeed, because the survey changed the mind of Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells, formerly the No. 1 Clarke ally. She was as enthused as Mr. Clarke about voting-by-mail until she studied the Davis report. Councilman Andy Weissman said that the Davis study was a factor in his decision not to support voting-by-mail.
There is further irony, the Councilman said as he laughed at himself again.
Who Knew?
“I got the report from a group I am working with right now that is involved in increasing voter turnout.”
Mr. Clarke said he innocently asked his project mates if they had “information or background literature” that could help him enlighten his fellow City Council members.
“They sent the Davis research to me, and I forwarded it on to the city clerk,” Mr. Clarke said.
“Otherwise, I cited data from a doctoral dissertation that was done in the state of Washington in 2013. It cited six other studies that showed significantly increased turnouts in communities where all of the voting was done by mail.
“The change to all-mail,” said Mr. Clarke, “showed that it made a positive difference in communities where bond issues were on the ballot and in City Council races.”
The Councilman said that when former Los Angeles city official Rick Tuttle said Culver City would be shrinking from 13 polling places to one if all-mail were adopted, Mr. Clarke countered with:
“Yes, but the one polling place will be at City Hall, and it will be open for 29 days whereas your 13 are open for one day, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.”
Nevertheless, all-mail voting has become a corpse for the foreseeable future.