Joe Henderson
This is election season in Florida, and we know the drill. The outcome of major races can, and likely will, hinge on a few thousand votes. When pundits and politicians search for what made the difference in 2020, they might consider focusing on a surprising factor: drop-off boxes.
Say what?
Well, President Donald Trump’s oft-used words to describe voting by mail included “corrupt” and “disaster.” Not true, but he said that and it planted the seed of paranoia.
Experts predict the turnout will shatter voting records. Expect long lines and lengthy waits to cast a ballot, even with COVID-19. We’ve certainly seen images of those lines in polling places around the state as early voting began.
So, it makes sense that people could look for an easy way to make their voices heard. Don’t trust the mail? Then what could be easier than using the dedicated drive-up lane at the election office? Roll down the window and hand your ballot to the person on duty.
Watch as the worker drops it into the box.
Drive off.
Done.
“The media hasn’t focused on this much and I think that’s a mistake,” retired USF political professor Dr. Susan McManus said. “Boxes are making a big difference. It’s one of the most important developments in this election cycle but hardly anyone is paying attention.”
I drove by an election office in Brandon on Monday, the first day of early voting. A long line stretched out the door and down the full length of the building. At the drive-thru lane though, there were only two cars.
The wait time seemed to last about 30 seconds.
People are catching on, too.
Gerri Kramer, Communications Director for the Hillsborough Elections Office, said that out of 208,874 ballots cast thus far, 68,664 were placed in the drop-off boxes. That’s nearly 33% of the total. There are secure boxes at 26 locations throughout the county.
“It’s nice that people can have a contactless way to deliver their ballots,” she said.
Trump’s crusade against mail-in balloting may have contributed to the trend. Democrats generally favor mail voting more than Republicans, so hand-delivering their ballots became a viable option.
They can vote early, avoid the lines, and eliminate any concern that their ballot didn’t get delivered. It’s another option for voters who dawdled on filling out their mail ballot and don’t want to take a chance it won’t be received by the 7 p.m. deadline on Election Day.
Since this is Florida, even easy, commonsense measures like this can be controversial. When the Department of State General Counsel Brad McVay ordered election supervisors to staff those boxes, Democrats screamed voter suppression.
You don’t hear much talk about that now, though.
“You notice that the complaints about it lasted one news cycle,” McManus said. “The Democrats who claimed it was voter suppression quickly realized it was a good thing. It gives people confidence that their vote will be counted. “
