As far as I know, our mail-in balloting process in Pacific County has always gone smoothly and I expect that voting in the November election will be seamless this time, too.  But it’s always good to have a back-up plan.  Just in case.

Since most of what we mail from here goes first to Portland for sorting (don’t ask) it is within the realm of possibility that there might be a hang-up there.  Portland’s had more than it’s share of the evening news lately, and I’d hate for our general election to be cause for yet more headlines.

Our ballots have to go to South Bend, of course, which is just a spit and a holler to the northeast of us.  And, there is a special mail slot at the Long Beach Post Office for mail that goes directly to South Bend as in do not pass go and do not mess around with an out-of-state sorting facility.  If you get your ballot in the mail, in Long Beach, before 11 o’clock in the morning, it will go to South Bend that very day.  Post haste, as they say.

I actually can’t imagine why anyone would wait until the last minute.  Not on this election!  Ballots will be mailed to us on October 16th.  That gives us a full two weeks to mark our choices and get those ballots in the mail.  Most of us already know how we will vote.  Mark ’em and mail ’em, I say.  It’s a no-brainer.