A proposal in the Maryland state legislature would allow the use of full vote by mail voting for special elections.

Proponents note that the bill could serve as a “pilot” to test the effects of VBM on turnout and on costs, which is a great idea. But if the proponents think they will save money for elections which previously had turnouts from 7-11%, they might want to refer to a report by the DC Board which examined a very similar issue.