In a move designed to address the problem of abysmally low voter turnout, yesterday the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to pay postage for vote-by-mail ballots. The change will go into effect in the November 2015 elections, at a cost of $31,000. For the two elections scheduled in 2016 the estimated cost to the County is $198,000, about $56,000 of which will be reimbursed by cities and other jurisdictions that have elections.
With the price of a first class stamp at 49 cents and hefty ballots that that require two stamps to mail, the cost of postage had become a deterrent to voting, not to mention that many of us simply don’t have stamps lying around the house. How much of a difference will free postage make? We’re about to find out, but the Board of Supervisors move to pay for postage is certainly a step in the right direction.
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