# Is anyone here voting early, if your area offers it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 16, 2018, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067 "2018-10-16T23:05:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/21 "2018-10-17T12:44:22Z")
I sent in my ballot-by-mail yesterday. I did something I’ve never done before in my life–voted straight ticket (Dem). ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/22 "2018-10-17T13:11:53Z")
Vote by mail. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/23 "2018-10-17T14:01:06Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Did she by chance say she would not vote for Trump in 2016 and ask him to pull out of the race? Her views aren’t important. The triumph of this woman over discrimination and bigotry and the privileged white male are all that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/24 "2018-10-17T14:49:58Z")
Texas allows it starting on Oct. 22. I’ll definitely try to avoid the long crowds on Election Day. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/25 "2018-10-17T15:01:43Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Her views aren’t important. The triumph of this woman over discrimination and bigotry and the privileged white male are all that matter. Play to your strengths, and stop trying to be clever. Yes, both I and my wife will be voting early. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/26 "2018-10-17T20:20:55Z")
Illinois offers early voting to anyone who wants to do so. I prefer to vote at my precinct on election day, partly because the paper ballot is less “hackable” than the voting machines used in my county. Unless I go to the county offices (very inconvenient to get to), I can’t vote a paper ballot if I early vote. This time I’ll vote early because I’m an election judge and my assignment is not in my precinct. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/27 "2018-10-17T20:48:50Z")
I do absentee mail-in. So far I’ve finished four states. Only 7 more to go! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/28 "2018-10-18T00:54:09Z")
Early voting here begins on Monday. I’ll be out of town for work on election day, so definitely voting before I leave. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/29 "2018-10-18T01:03:25Z")
Nope. The early voting station closest to me is 16 miles away. My election day polling spot is the elementary school that is literally next door to me. (Well, not exactly next _door_, but we share a property line. My back yard and their playing field). ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/30 "2018-10-18T02:37:35Z")
Update: last night, I found out how to track my absentee ballot, so I did, and found out they got it the day before. What they do with it afterwards is anybody guess. :dubious: Also, earlier today, I was out running errands and decided to stop by the bookstore. Holy cannoli, did it need restocking, especially in the children’s department! I spent an hour there, doing that. The library just did a big cull, so we had plenty to put out. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/31 "2018-10-18T04:13:33Z")
First day to mail Colorado ballots out to voters was Monday, October 15. Should be showing up any day now. I miss North Carolina early voting. The early voting location I used was about 1000 feet from my office and getting there required crossing exactly one street (Cameron Ave for those familiar). A short, pleasant walk across the upper quad and past Silent Sam. Times have changed. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/32 "2018-10-18T07:36:24Z")
I voted by mail in Chicago yesterday. The return envelope had prepaid postage, so Illinois media can’t run any more stories about millennials not knowing how to buy a stamp. ---
**Author:** ![RickG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rickg/32/5174_2.png) [@RickG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickG)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/33 "2018-10-18T21:21:22Z")
We have optional mail-in ballots here in Colorado. They just arrived earlier this week, and I imagine my wife and I will fill them out this weekend and drop them off at one of the available locations rather than spending all that money on stamps :). My son, who is 20 and studying abroad this semester, has already submitted his absentee ballot online. He’s been nudging his American friends at the school he’s at in Florence to make sure they vote, too. So proud. My parents, who will be on a cruise on Election Day, have already voted early absentee in Florida. My father, who typically votes Republican (though he voted for Gary Johnson in 2016 _sigh_), voted a straight Democratic ticket this year. He is **very** unhappy with Trump and the GOP. Anecdotes are not data, but if my 83 year old father can’t stomach the GOP this year, I’d say that’s a bad sign for them. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/34 "2018-10-19T02:50:16Z")
> [@RickG](#): > > We have optional mail-in ballots here in Colorado. They just arrived earlier this week, and I imagine my wife and I will fill them out this weekend and drop them off at one of the available locations rather than spending all that money on stamps :). > > My son, who is 20 and studying abroad this semester, has already submitted his absentee ballot online. He’s been nudging his American friends at the school he’s at in Florence to make sure they vote, too. So proud. > > My parents, who will be on a cruise on Election Day, have already voted early absentee in Florida. My father, who typically votes Republican (though he voted for Gary Johnson in 2016 _sigh_), voted a straight Democratic ticket this year. He is **very** unhappy with Trump and the GOP. Anecdotes are not data, but if my 83 year old father can’t stomach the GOP this year, I’d say that’s a bad sign for them. My 90 year old mother detests Trump, but then, she’s always been a middle-of-the-road Democrat. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/35 "2018-10-19T05:49:52Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Everyone in Washington votes by mail. The ballots go out about two weeks before election day. I almost always vote within the first few days after they arrive. It’s all quite civilized. Washington voter. Just got my ballot today. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/36 "2018-10-19T05:55:23Z")
Mailed in my ballot this evening. Take _that_, Republican filth. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/37 "2018-10-19T07:58:52Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Update: last night, I found out how to track my absentee ballot, so I did, and found out they got it the day before. What they do with it afterwards is anybody guess. :dubious: I do temporary work at the county Elections Office. My title is Election Board Member, one of a large number of people with that title. Back in the good old days BC (Before Computers), the Election Board actually counted votes. Now they just open the envelopes they come in and then unfold the ballots for computer reading. Anyway, if you’re in Washington County Oregon, I can tell you what happens to your ballot. I used to drop my ballot off at the Elections Office (which is only about a mile or so away from my house) on Election Day. After working there, which I first did in 2016, I now bring it in on my first work day, which is the Thursday before. We get so many ballots on Election Day that we end up working until well into the next day. In 2016, we got done about 6:30 a.m. So we really want everyone to vote early to reduce the long work day. > [@RickG](#): > > We have optional mail-in ballots here in Colorado. Optional? I thought Colorado was one of the states that had 100% vote-by-mail. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/38 "2018-10-19T13:27:36Z")
I might but here in NC in some cases you have to wait in line longer for early voting than you do on election day. Not a fan of lines so I might try to go if the line is not long. ---
**Author:** ![RickG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rickg/32/5174_2.png) [@RickG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickG)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/39 "2018-10-19T14:47:44Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Optional? I thought Colorado was one of the states that had 100% vote-by-mail. Everybody registered by October 29 gets a mail-in ballot, but in-person voting is still available for those who want it and those who didn’t register in time (they can do same day registration). Voter ID requirements for in-person voting are minimal (photo ID not required). ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067/40 "2018-10-19T15:33:54Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Mailed in my ballot this evening. Take _that_, Republican filth. Mailed my ballot yesterday. Take _that_, Democrat filth. Present company excluded, of course. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-here-voting-early-if-your-area-offers-it/823067.md?page=3)