The opinions stated in this article are solely those of the author. 

Two recent conversations – one with a Davis County mayor, another with a former manager of a Davis County city – relate to the citizen embrace of vote-by-mail.

The city manager, Bruce Barton, is a staunch Republican who has a dim view of allowing voters to return their ballots by mail. He thinks elections should be taken seriously by serious people who leave their homes for 15 minutes once every two years to visit a polling site.

“It’s not that much of a burden,” he says. If you make it too easy, he feels, voting becomes the result of a marketing postcard or brochure, not a serious study of issues.

Barton admits he’s in the minority. Vote-by-mail has created a surge of interest, especially in elections for Congress, the President, or state Governor. Even in lower-profile off-year elections for city council seats, vote-by-mail has increased participation to some 40% of registered voters. 

It makes sense, of course. Instead of driving to a polling site after work on a Tuesday evening (hopefully not the same date as a child’s athletic practice or dance recital), voters can fill out their ballot three weeks in advance while sitting at their kitchen counter. Some may use the extra time to seek out a candidate’s position on an issue, while others may check off the candidate whose mailer arrived the same afternoon.

But with a larger number of people voting, it has also increased the expense for all candidates. And that brings me to the second conversation. A city mayor, encouraged by friends to run for a vacant seat in the state legislature, would have to raise a sizable sum for a campaign.

From being involved in legislative campaigns, I understand the gamble. With a few well-known competitors seeking the same office (a two-year seat), a candidate would have to spend between $15,000-$20,000 for campaign signs, mailers, and internet postings. There are instances when candidates have spent much less, but also many occasions when a candidate has spent even more.

In perspective, Davis County candidates can run campaigns “on the cheap.” A city council race in Bountiful might cost $6,000; the same race in Salt Lake City can easily run over $80,000. Of course, this is spare change compared to running for Congress. Davis County’s Brad Wilson has already placed $2 million in an account for his campaign to replace retiring Sen. Mitt Romney. 

Prior to vote-by-mail, candidates could scout the voting list and identify the most likely men and women to turn out at the polls. But with the election spread over three weeks instead of a single day, voter numbers have increased, resulting in more money and multiple mailers. This gives the edge to candidates who are well heeled or well connected, raising barriers for the “average citizen.”

Overall, vote-by-mail is a positive idea for democracy. The more people vote, the more they will supposedly have skin in the game. But it also comes with a cost – and you may see that cost by looking in your mailbox or noticing the plastic signs near busy intersections. 

Bryan Gray, a longtime Davis County resident, is a former school teacher and has been a columnist for more than 26 years in newspapers along the Wasatch Front.