Mail-in voting is not expensive

Colorado spent 40 percent less per vote in 2014 by going to a majority mail-in voting system.^[1] Colorado spent about $10 per vote in 2014, compared to nearly $16 per vote in 2008 by eliminating assigned polling places and replacing them with county polling centers where any voter could return a ballot. Further, a study by the Pew Research Center estimated that the state could cut costs down by $1.05 per registered vote by mailing ballots to all registered voters.^[2] These cost-cutting measures could save the state $5 million over two fiscal years, while only requiring a $1.5 million investment in the same time frame. In California’s Orange County, an overhaul of the voting system to support a vote-by-mail cost the county $11.2 million, around one-fourth of the cost of overhauling existing voting equipment.^[3] These studies in Colorado and California demonstrate how mail-in voting saves costs. Mail-in voting is also not expensive to the voter. The United States Postal Service has a mandate to deliver all ballots regardless of postage.^[4] Mail-in voting saves voters' time as well since voters do not have to drive to polling locations and wait in lines. The US government should not ban mail-in ballots for the 2020 election because mail-in ballots are a cost-efficient, accessible method for voting.