Last modified: Thursday, September 21, 2006 2:06 AM EDT LETTER: Neither rain nor sleet would stop vote by mail To the editor: I was honored to be a City of Attleboro election commissioner for 20 years. Then, and no doubt now, every effort was made to get everyone registered who could and should be a voter. For those who couldn't come to us, we went to them. We went to private nurs ing and rest homes and to work places. During my time, a survey was done, state-wide I think, showing how many more could be registered voters, but were not. Has anything changed? Some public libraries, and I'm sure other places, have mail-in voter registration forms for those who care to use one. How many are used? Every 10 years a federal cen sus is taken. In all other years, this is done by the same people who run the elections. Since this is done through the United States Postal Service, and since one may register to vote by mail, why not add to the census form this ques tion: `` If you are eligible to be reg istered, but are not, do you wish to be?'' The proper form could then be sent to those who wish to receive one. Tens of thousands of taxpay ers' dollars are spent each elec tion day to poll workers and oth ers. Why not simply mail a ballot to each voter? Isn't it a fact that postage would not cost what is spent for the few who do show up at the polling places? Every voter would have no reason not to vote. It is my understanding that Washington State does all voting by mail. Do you know anyone out there to ask how it's doing? Charles U. Denham Jr. Centerville