By mail or not, make sure you vote

There was considerable debate in the Legislature and statewide over whether to hold a mail-only ballot for the special congressional election scheduled for May 25.

It would have clearly resulted in a substantial savings for counties that are responsible for holding the election, but the Republicans in charge of the Legislature prevented the measure from coming up for a final vote. That decision has been characterized as political hardball — a pitch aimed at preventing “casual voters” from taking part in the election. There is apparently a prevalent assumption that “casual voters” tend to be Democrats, and they would favor Creston singer-songwriter Rob Quist over his Republican opponent, Greg Gianforte.

That may or may not be true, but in general we prefer to change laws so that they apply once and for all, and not on a one-time basis. Only a couple of states have followed Oregon’s leads and switched to all mail elections. Frankly, we don’t appreciate the casualness of such an arrangement. Most importantly, we value the communal nature of the democratic process and believe that the ritual and tradition of voting with your neighbors is part of the glue that holds us together. Since politics lately seems to be dragging us apart, that glue may be more important than ever.

We hope there is a large turnout for this important election to name a replacement for Ryan Zinke as the state’s sole congressman. In addition to Quist and Gianforte, Montanans also can vote for the Libertarian candidate, Mark Wicks. And for those who insist on voting by mail, you still can do so by asking for an absentee ballot from your county election office.