I’m old enough to remember, so let me just take a second to tell the political story of universal mail ballots in Colorado.

Join me. /1

In the 2012 election, Colorado Democrats did very well. We took control of all three branches of state government.

I wasn’t an elected official then, but Democrats worked hard to create universal mail ballot voting.

Republicans were terrified. Like nationwide now. /2

Democrats had hope that more participation because of mail ballots would help in what looked like a tough off-year election where low turnout had hurt before with a Democratic President (most notably in 2010, with the same President). /3

Colorado Republicans were afraid (and many national Republicans today are afraid), nominally about “fraud”, but primarily that what Democrats were hoping for could be true. More participation would spell doom for their party.

So what happened? /4

The first all-mail even year election in 2014 was a bonanza for Republicans. @CoryGardner unseated @MarkUdall. Republicans retook the State Senate. I poured my heart and soul into getting Don Quick elected Attorney General over Cynthia Coffman and it wasn’t that close /5

Turns out, a bunch of folks in Colorado who leaned Republican and wanted to vote just loved the convenience or didn’t have the ability to vote in person and went ahead and voted when they might not have otherwise.

Leading to significant Republican victories. /6

Anyway, if you believe in democracy, you should want as many people to vote as possible.

If you’re more parochial, know that I’m a Democrat and the first major all-mail election in Colorado was one of the worst nights in my political life.

It will be fine I promise. /end