Tweak This: The California Electoral System

I voted 12 days ago.

I received my mail-in election ballot on May 10. Not wanting to misplace my ballot somewhere in my home, I completed it and mailed it the next day with two first-class stamps, to be safe.

I didn’t start receiving the first of the campaign mailers until May 12. I received my county sample ballot on May 15, followed by the statewide voting guide the next day.

Something is wrong with this picture. I should have had the sample ballot and statewide voting guide before my ballot arrived. Why did the various candidates wait until, say, May 11 to start sending their hit pieces?

According to the California Secretary of State, in the 2010 statewide general election, nearly 5 million out of 10,300,392 California voters used an absentee ballot. (I was one of them.) That’s 48.44 percent. Reasons include infirmity, long commutes, traveling on Election Day, and avoiding long lines at the polls. I work long hours with a 32-mile commute and don’t arrive home until 7 p.m., an hour before the polls close.

I like being an informed voter. I usually study the statewide ballot guide and read newspaper and online articles about the candidates and initiatives before I vote. Since I didn’t get the sample ballot or voting guide before my ballot arrived, I had to depend on what I read online about the issues before casting my vote.

So, I have some suggestions for elections officials and campaign managers to help those of us who vote absentee make informed choices:

To elections officials: Please mail the sample ballot and statewide voting guide at least a week before mailing the absentee ballot.

To campaigners: If you must mail your campaign mailers (hit pieces), please do so at least two weeks before the absentee ballots are mailed.

Not everyone is going to complete and mail his or her ballot the day after it was received. However, I realize that this year, more than ever, my vote counts. And I will use it wisely.

Writing Diva