A very satisfied mail-in voter

Editor, The Times:

I had to laugh reading Bruce Ramsey’s column in the Nov. 3 Seattle Times [“Ballot-Counting Day,” Opinion].

I guess it’s all about perspectives, and here’s mine: I once lived in a state where we couldn’t get absentee ballots unless we were going to be physically out of the state on Election Day. My children were too young and too impatient to wait the hour or so it took to vote, so my neighbor would stay with the kids while I went. I always managed to get there just before closing time.

By the time I got to the polling station, there were always long lines, about 40 or so folks in front of me. Unlike columnist Ramsey, I had no sweet, orange-haired lady. The poll workers were always different, and woe to you if you happened to forget your voter-registration card. I was tired, I was cranky, and standing in line for up to an hour waiting was not my version of wonderful.

I hated election days and sometimes, if some emergency happened at work, I had to work late and didn’t get to vote. Thus, my voting record was spotty, depending on how much energy I had and who was up for election.

When I moved to Washington, and found out I could vote by mail, I was in seventh heaven.

Now I have time to focus, concentrate and take my time. I don’t worry about a long line of voters waiting behind me. I vote, get it done by Election Day and life is good. I have time to ensure my vote went to the person I felt would do the best job.

I haven’t missed an election in years, and my children, now grown, have always voted absentee as well. Please don’t denigrate another system of voting that gives voting for others a nice, pleasant, positive experience. Voting itself is the real thing.

— Jean Bolton, Kent