We may be edging closer to mail-only elections, at least in the North Bay.

Sonoma and Marin county election officials have aggressively promoted mail balloting for many years, saying it boosts turnout and could save money.

An analysis of the November election released Tuesday by the Field Institute reaches the same conclusion, at least with regard to turnout.

California's voter turnout increased for the third straight presidential election, after 32 years of declining participation, and Field attributed the trend to an increase in vote-by-mail ballots, the new name for absentee ballots. Of the record 13.7 million votes cast in the November election, 5.7 million were mail ballots. That's up 1.6 million since 2004 and more than double the 2.7 million cast in 2000.

In addition, 84.9 percent of the 6.7 million mail ballots distributed were returned, compared to an overall turnout of 75.9 percent.

As we've already reported, Sonoma had the largest turnout of any county, with 93.4 percent of registered voters casting ballots. And 59.4 percent voted by mail. Only six counties had larger proportions, including tiny Alpine and Sierra counties, which only have mail ballots.

Sonoma and Marin counties would like to go the all-mail route, and election officials have volunteered several times to be test sites for the state. Gloria Colter, the assistant registrar of voters in Sonoma County, said the offer stands for a special election this spring that's likely to be required by any state budget deal.  "We're still ready, willing and able," she told me Wednesday.

She thinks there would be enough savings from not setting up 300-plus polling stations, each with four paid workers, to more than offset postage costs. And she thinks the data proves that more people would participate.

The hold ups include tradition (many people like to go to the polls) and politics (legislators aren't so sure that an all-mail election offers the best chance of approval for spending cuts and tax hikes likely to be on the ballot). Also, Los Angeles County isn't enthusiastic about mail voting. So Colter and other advocates are hoping lawmakers might give county supervisors the option of holding mail-only elections.

I'll admit that I'm one of those who likes going to the polls. What would you think?

-- Jim Sweeney