Normativities in Postal Elections: Exploring Secrecy, Honesty, Convenience / Burdensomeness, and Ritual in / of Postal Voting

There is a widespread belief that alternative voting methods, such as postal voting, involve trade-offs between key principles of electoral law and standards of electoral integrity. These perceived trade-offs constitute the central point of argumentation for both advocates and critics of such voting methods. This paper provides an overview of the main lines of argumentation advanced by legal scholars, political philosophers, and political scientists regarding selected principles of election law / standards of electoral integrity relevant to postal voting—namely, secrecy, integrity, ritual, and the dimensions of convenience and burden. I critically assess the validity of certain arguments, highlight aspects of postal voting that are normatively more significant than often acknowledged, and question whether it remains appropriate to evaluate postal voting against traditionally understood standard that may be outdated or ill-suited to this voting method. Finally, I outline key areas where further scholarly work is necessary to advance the debate.