I've received my by-mail ballot for the California primary. Actually, I've received my second one. The first had a printing error which I noticed and reported and they sent me a replacement…and no, there's no way I can send both in and vote twice.
I started voting by mail a few elections ago when I had last-minute emergencies on two consecutive Election Days that made it very, very difficult to physically get to my polling place. I am not the only Californian who votes this way. In 2014, close to 70% of primary ballots in this state were cast by mail and the number will probably be higher this year. I dunno how rapidly people return them but with eighteen days until June 7, it's possible a majority of ballots have already been marked and dropped in mailboxes. What happens in public henceforth between Hillary and Bernie may not matter in the Golden State. To paraphrase the sweepstakes ads, one of them may already be a winner.
I haven't marked mine yet because I haven't decided on the Clinton/Sanders race. I still like Bernie Sanders more but I'm starting to really dislike the vibe — which I hope is exaggerated by the media — that if we can't have Bernie, it's better for the country to crash and burn. One Sanders supporter who writes me daily — because obviously, as my blog goes, so goes the nation — seems to think it is scientifically impossible that Hillary could be getting more votes without a massive cheating effort.
I don't, nor am I bothered that she's pretty likely to be the nominee. I will admit though that I once thought it was impossible for an old Jew who calls himself a Democratic Socialist to do half as well as Sanders has without cheating. Good for him for proving this country isn't that afraid of someone who's not a Christian, who skews so far to the left and who only seems to own one suit.
If I had to vote today, it would probably be Sanders…but I'm going to wait 'til a week before my envelope has to be there. I'm just wondering how many people are so sick of this election that they immediately marked theirs and tossed it in a mailbox. As I've learned in the past, once you do, it's a lot easier to stop paying attention.