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CONTENTS
[. .] Introduction
[X] Methodology
[X] Results
[X] Suggestions
[X] Questionnaire
INTRODUCTION
This survey was made following the Ohio/Federal 2010 general election. The
purpose was to gain insight into why citizens who requested an absentee ballot did not return the ballot prior to the election. Public-record data for this survey was obtained from the Boards of Elections (BoEs) in Franklin County and Madison County of Ohio.
The election
figures for Franklin County are:
. . Registered voters: 811,831
. . Ballots cast: 388,698
. . Absentee ballots mailed out: 160,872
. . Absentee ballots counted: 141,711
. . Absentee ballots not returned: 16,495 (10.3%).
The election figures for
Madison County are:
. . Absentee ballots mailed out: 3,606
. . Absentee ballots not returned: 206 (8%).
METHODOLOGY
120 sets of a form letter and a questionnaire were mailed to a random sample of the voters on the "not
returned" lists at the BoEs. 40 envelopes were mailed to each of the three areas:
(1) Madison County - a rural area,
(2) Columbus Ward 05 - a mobile urban area, and
(3) Columbus Ward 19 - a stable urban area.
Of the 120 questionnaires sent out, 26 (21.7%) were
returned. This includes three questionnaires that were sent back from addresses from which voters had moved. Thus, only 23 questionnaires were used in the compilation. NOTE: This sample of 23 voters was considered too small to be statistically useful. As a result, the
survey gave only hints of what might be happening.
RESULTS
The information shown in this section provide the basis for the suggestions that follow. Twenty three (23) absentee-ballots voters agreed that they had requested a ballot. The
reasons for BoEs' records showing "not returned" are grouped into four broad categories.
(1) Two (2), of the 23 voters, did not receive their an absentee ballot. As a result, they voted at a polling place. [23 - 2 = 21]
(2) Twelve (12) of the 21 remaining voters
[57%], who did receive an absentee ballot, said they returned their to the BoEs via the U.S. mails. However, the BoEs files showed those ballots as "not returned". [21 - 12 = 9]
(3) Four (4) of the 21 voters, with an absentee ballot, decided not to use their ballot and
instead voted at their polling location. [9 - 4 = 5]
(4) Five (5) voters indicated they had a unique situation that caused them to not returned their ballot to the BoE. [5 - 5 - 0]
++++++++++++++++++
Options 15 [ ] and 16 [ ] were listed on the questionnaire
under the section General Questions.
"Current rules require absentee-ballot voters who want to vote on election day, to either (a) use a provisional ballot at their polling location or (b) deliver the sealed absentee ballot to the county BoE office. If it were
permissible to drop off your sealed absentee ballot at any polling location in your county on election day, would it have been easier for you to vote?"
18 of 23 voters responded with:
15 [ ] Yes - 10
16 [ ] No --- 8
SUGGESTIONS
* After general elections, each BoE should make an in-depth study using a statistically useful sample of would-be absentee-ballot voters to determine why their ballots are not being returned without voter intent or knowledge.
Said study should first identify those instances where (1) voters did (or did not) receive a ballot that was mailed to them and (2) the BoE did not record receipt of ballots that were mailed back. Second, each of these instances, should then be studied (using test mailings, cooperation with postal inspectors, internal audits, telephone calls, home visits, etc.) to determine why the failures occurred.
In this small sample of 23 voters, 14 voters [61%] experienced either logistics or data-entry problems. [See (1) & (2) above] The methodology I used did not provide even a hint of why these failures occurred.
* Inform voters, who request an absentee ballot, that they can check the status of their mailed-back ballot before the election by contacting the BoE, and keep a log of the inquires.
QUESTIONNAIRE
For technical reasons, a HTML-2 reproduction of the survey questionnaire has been reproduced on a separate page. Click here [X] to see the questionnaire.
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Address:
Bill Buckel
1641 Hess Blvd.
Columbus, OH 43212
. .Ph. 614--488-8963
Notice: This web site does not have an e-mail return address.
URL = http://www.billbuckel.com
Up-dated: May 10, 2011