We dont need early voting. We dont need parades or holidays or hov lanes either. But unless you can come up with a convincing argument why we need to NOT have early voting, then why the hell not have it.
I voted in Columbus, OH in 2004 and I had to wait 90 minutes in line, 60 minutes of that outside in a cold rain. Early voting is an outstanding idea. Just what was so sacred about a Tuesday in November in the first place?
They did it for one day last week in LA.
As for absentee, one person I know who was getting an absentee form from PA had to give a reason and there was a big warning saying “If you can vote in person, you must.” We’re much more relaxed here out west. In NM, you can get an absentee ballot on request, no reason required, use it even if you could make it to the polls, and we’ve also been running early voting with a ton of sites (not just the county clerks) for two weeks now.
Hasn’t been the case in CA for some time. I’ve been on the permanent absentee list for years ( I hate both crowds and lines, sue me 
). As you can see in the following table, the proportion of absentee ballots cast has been in the double digits for over 20 years and moved past 40% as of 2006: http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/hist_absentee.htm
I voted today. In my district it was done at the local firehouse. They had it very well organized so that in the event of call, the workings of the firehouse were not impeded in any way. The whole transaction took me 20 minutes. I know that on election day my polling place is going to be insane. I like early voting.
I voted early in 2004 and I’m voting early this year. I’m going on Monday to a government building and I’m voting.
I work 8-7 most Tuesdays, so voting on the 4th is fairly impossible. In addition, I’ll wait in a much shorter line on Monday than I would on the 4th.
Still not sure what your objection is.
Nominally so, but they don’t verify the excuse - you’re not asked to provide an airplane reservation, for example. Therefore, it has the effect of allowing “early voting” even when you’re using the absentee process instead.
Virginia’s absentee-ballot process can be accomplished entirely by mail (I think; I’ve never done it that way), but a lot of it is done by setting up a polling station in a municipal building (to serve a bunch of precincts). This is open at predetermined times, e.g. a couple of evenings, and all day Saturday. Often, it’s got the same voting machine as we’d see on November 4.
One friend of mine, who will be absentee-voting due to the fact that she now has a job an hour from home, was bemoaning the fact that “my vote won’t count”. This is because as an absentee voter, those ballots aren’t even counted unless the 11/4 vote spread between the winner and the runner-up is less than the number of absentee votes. Dunno how that works when they use voting machines for the absentee votes.
Oh - one overwhelming reason to allow early voting: reduces the impact of unexpected “acts of God” or whatever. On the day of the Virginia primary, I stood in line for most of an hour. This was for the primary (the poll people were stunned at the turnout; they did not have sufficient people to handle it). That evening, there was a NASTY ice storm - 30 minute commutes turned into 3-hour commutes. A lot of people in Virginia lost their chance to vote as a result (Maryland extended voting hours by 2 hours, Virginia did not). Early voting would have reduced the number people who lost out. While November in the DC area is unlikely to yield such a weather event, other parts of the country can’t say the same thing.
Consider a situation that almost befell us: I had an Anatomy Exam- full gross and lab exam on Nov. 4. That would be a 4 hour exam starting from 1pm, until 5pm. They usually take an extra half an hour as well just because of all the shuffling around and such. So really I’ll be getting out at 5:30 to 5:45pm.
I also would have classes starting at 9am that day going until 12pm.
So from 9am to nearly 6pm, I’ll be busy. But I do get 1 hour for lunch- Yay!
That factored in, my area to vote/jurisdiction is located 20 miles away- perfectly normal. However, to get there is a traffic laden fiasco thru bridges and interstates. So really the drive will take 45 mins to 1.5 hours depending on the flow of traffic (light to moderate. Heavy can go 2 hours easy- stupid fucking tunnels).
That is one way. So coming back- same issue. Anywhere from 45 mins to 2 hours depending on the traffic.
That’s not even factoring how long I’d have to wait to vote at the polls themselves. Oh, and showing up 3+ mins late for the exam?
You’re locked out. Period. Done deal.
That said, when do YOU suggest I vote? :dubious:
Early voting looks nicer and nicer each and every Day.
I’ve only recently heard about early voting. I find it kind of a strange idea, but if that’s what the people want, then okay. If I were back in the US, I’d just wait until Election Day; seems voting absentee would be good enough otherwise. But that’s just me.
These aren’t the only posts in this thread suggesting that I’m obliged to come up with or already have some covert contrary view. I hope no one will think me sidestepping them by pointing out that there’s a reason I didn’t post in GD. The closest thing I have to a contrary opinion about early voting is that I don’t take as self-evident it’s benefits. Hence this thread.
Here in Washington State, 37 of our 39 counties only allow mail in ballots. The two biggest counties (where Seattle and Tacoma are located) still allow voting in person, but have to provide absentee ballots on request. Early voting in person isn’t allowed, but with such liberal policies why bother? I think we’ve answered why this kind of voting is needed, but I wonder
–at what point did the voting in person system get so backlogged?
–with so many voting options, why haven’t the voting rates skyrocketed? I know they’re up since 2000, but shouldn’t they then be at 70-75%?
In Australia, voting is mandatory. Don’t vote and there’s a fine to be paid. All of the Australians I know are mystified why it’s not so in the US, if not plain horrified that it’s not. I must admit I support the idea myself.
Voting became mandatory in Thailand a few years ago. There’s no fine to be paid if you don’t vote, but you do lose certain rights but nothing seemingly too serious. Thailand only recently instituted absentee balloting; before, students and other Thais abroad were just out of luck. The government always maintained absentee voting was too difficult logistically, and my wife was amazed at how easy it was for me to vote absentee in the US; that really gave the lie to the Thai government’s claims. I think they were just afraid of people “corrupted by Western ideas” voting.
Americans get a lot of flak for low voter turnout (maybe Canada will start getting some too), but I don’t think it’s all our fault. There’s no logical reason why election day should be a single day in the middle of the week when any number of factors could keep people from getting out to the polls. A more convenient electoral process encourages citizens to exercise their right to vote, which is an absolute positive.
I used to know the reason for it being on a Tuesday but cannot recall it now except that it was all wrapped up in having to get into town on a non-Sabbath day or some such. But I wouldn’t change the day for the world. “First Tuesday after the first Monday in November.” It’s sort of become one of the few remaining rocks you can count on. Not even the Civil War bumped it. I like that sort of regularity.
To quote a Canadian…“If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice” 
We like the ability to express our opinion by not voting just as much as we like our ability to express it by voting.
Do they still have the barbaric practice of closing the saloons on election day? What about the Night of the Howling Dogs?
Oh GOD yes. And last year, in the aftermath of the September 2006 military coup, when they were getting an elected government set up again, and there were all sorts of primaries and follow-up elections, the bars were constantly shutting down left and right at a moment’s notice. It was really getting ridiculous. And we just had elections for Bangkok governor a couple or three weeks ago. They don’t just close it on the day, but from 6pm the night before! Fortunately, there are certain places that secretly stay open. But your average tourist on holiday isn’t going to know about those, and it must be pretty irksome to come here on holiday and be told you can’t have a beer until tomorrow or the day after even though you can’t vote anyway.
And holidays. They often have to close for religious holidays, but sometimes for the non-religious ones, as well. Most annoying, not least to the bar owners, is that the police themselves are often not told until as late as the day before a holiday if the bars will have to close.
Looks like a three-day bar closure in mid-November, during cremation ceremonies for An Important Person I Cannot Safely Talk About.
Hmmm. Night of the Howling Dogs. I’m not sure about that one.
We shall agree to disagree.
For comparison purposes, in Canadian federal elections (one agency organizes voting with uniform rules across Canada) there are no fewer than four ways to vote:
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On election day. Besides the usual polling places, most ridings offer mobile polls that visit old-age homes, chronic care hospitals, and the like. We are also starting to see individual polling places being set up in large residential buildings such as old age homes, social housing projects, and large apartment and condominium towers.
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At the advance polls (“early voting” to you), which are held over three days the week prior to the election (the Friday, Saturday, and Monday before voting day, which is almost always Monday - it was Tuesday this year due to Thanksgiving).
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By special ballot at the returning office - at any time between the time when the special ballot box is sealed and the sixth day before the election, you can waltz in to the returning office for your riding and vote then and there. If you vote before the ballot is prepared, you must write the name of your preferred candidate. (I usually vote this way as I am always involved in the election campaign. This year, I was the first person to cast a ballot in my riding.) I understand also that if you are away from your riding and in Canada, you can vote during this period at any returning office in Canada.
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By special ballot by mail - used by people away from the riding (including incarcerated and Canadian Forces voters) and people in the riding who are unable to get to the polling place.
You do not have to give any reason for using the voting method you prefer, and all ballots are counted at the same time, after close of polls on election night.
Rules for provincial and territorial elections vary. For example, I know that in Nunavut they permit voting by satellite phone for various extremely remote settlements.
Predominately because we still cling to the archaic system of voting on Tuesday instead of voting over a weekend. Some folks just can’t make it on election day.
There is the convenience factor, too. The lines usually are shorter for early voting.