# What's the impact of early voting on election results? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 16, 2016, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003 "2016-08-16T17:46:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [August 16, 2016, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/1 "2016-08-16T17:46:35Z")
I read somewhere this morning (sorry, no cite) that while some high-level Trump supporters are saying that there’s plenty of time to turn things around (the article said 90 days, but I get almost a week short of that), the reality is that there’s only six weeks until early voting starts. How much impact does early voting have? On the one hand, any kind of October Surprise won’t have any effect on votes already cast, but the percentage of votes cast more than a month before the election has to be small, doesn’t it? If one of the candidates stepped down sometime in October, would the people who voted early get a do-over? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/2 "2016-08-16T17:50:20Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > I read somewhere this morning (sorry, no cite) that while some high-level Trump supporters are saying that there’s plenty of time to turn things around (the article said 90 days, but I get almost a week short of that), the reality is that there’s only six weeks until early voting starts. Is [this](http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/early-voting-limits-donald-trump%e2%80%99s-time-to-turn-campaign-around/ar-BBvFILB?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=iehp) it? > [@](#): > > How much impact does early voting have? On the one hand, any kind of October Surprise won’t have any effect on votes already cast, but the percentage of votes cast more than a month before the election has to be small, doesn’t it? According to the article, early voting is increasing every election, with 32% of votes in 2012 being cast early. That’s not small. > [@](#): > > If one of the candidates stepped down sometime in October, would the people who voted early get a do-over? No. ---
**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:** [August 16, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/3 "2016-08-16T18:00:14Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Is [this](http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/early-voting-limits-donald-trump%e2%80%99s-time-to-turn-campaign-around/ar-BBvFILB?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=iehp) it? > > According to the article, early voting is increasing every election, with 32% of votes in 2012 being cast early. That’s not small. Yes, thank you. (I read it on my pad over breakfast – pad is downstairs, and I’m lazy.) I’m surprised the number is that high. (Clearly I read the article before my second cup of coffee.) Still though my guess is that the number of people voting early increases over time, so that maybe only a very small number of voters cast their ballot before Columbus Day, and not all that many before Halloween. But the question remains – how does early voting impact campaign strategy? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/4 "2016-08-16T18:06:19Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > But the question remains – how does early voting impact campaign strategy? Well. . . > [@](#): > > Indeed, Mrs. Clinton’s team, which includes a number of former top Obama campaign lieutenants, has been working with county officials to ensure that voters in swing states have places to cast their ballots early, organizing voters at the neighborhood level, and contacting those who may not know that they must request absentee ballots in jurisdictions that do not automatically send them. > > Some Clinton allies are also organizing “souls to the polls” buses that take church members to vote immediately after Sunday church services in Democratic strongholds like Cleveland. and > [@](#): > > The Clinton campaign has “voter protection teams” of lawyers pushing for as much early voting as possible. not to mention > [@](#): > > Mrs. Clinton, by contrast, urges people at her rallies to register to vote, pointing them to clipboard-carrying volunteers who have forms to dispense and details about when, where and how to cast ballots. It’s really a very informative article about campaign strategy. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/5 "2016-08-16T18:14:51Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > not to mention > > > [@](#): > > > > Mrs. Clinton, by contrast, urges people at her rallies to register to vote, pointing them to clipboard-carrying volunteers who have forms to dispense and details about when, where and how to cast ballots. > > It’s really a very informative article about campaign strategy. As opposed to Trump, who could not even be bothered to [get own children registered in time to vote for him in the NY primary.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/donald-trumps-kids-cant-vote-for-their-dad-thats-no-laughing-matter/2016/04/14/5cc603dc-0272-11e6-9203-7b8670959b88_story.html?utm_term=.0f631ed54946) ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/6 "2016-08-16T20:08:36Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > If one of the candidates stepped down sometime in October, would the people who voted early get a do-over? No. [This](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/29/eliot-cutler_n_6067914.html) happened in Maine’s last governor’s race. Nobody who voted early got a do-over. It caused a lot of anger. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/7 "2016-08-16T20:15:24Z")
Yep. Once you vote you’re done. Honestly, it’d be chaos otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/8 "2016-08-16T20:35:36Z")
Wouldn’t it also depend on the state? Early voting in California means nothing, we’re going for Clinton. In Florida it might matter a lot ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/9 "2016-08-16T21:34:26Z")
I’m assuming that the only people who vote early are those that could not foresee anything happening that would change who they vote for, so it doesn’t affect much in two-party races (although in a 3-party race, how sure of you that your candidate won’t withdraw? Your own fault for voting early if they do.). Election Day is now merely a deadline to make up your mind, and there are relatively few people who have not done so by that day. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/10 "2016-08-16T23:06:32Z")
Early voting means a longer period of time in which to vote. A longer period of time in which to vote means more people end up voting. More people voting traditionally favors Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/11 "2016-08-17T00:17:02Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > But the question remains – how does early voting impact campaign strategy? In addition to the impact to the current strategy **Frank** quoted above, there are also strategy adjustments that are made as the campaign goes on. From the same NYT article: > [@](#): > > President Obama was sufficiently ahead in the early vote in Iowa and Nevada in 2012 that his campaign shifted resources from those states to others… > > If Mrs. Clinton swamps Mr. Trump in the early vote in some swing states, she can move staff and money to the most competitive places — like Florida, North Carolina and Ohio, judging from recent polls — while he scrambles to battle on multiple fronts. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/12 "2016-08-19T08:31:19Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > No. > [@boffking](#): > > No. [This](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/29/eliot-cutler_n_6067914.html) happened in Maine’s last governor’s race. Nobody who voted early got a do-over. It caused a lot of anger. > [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Yep. Once you vote you’re done. > > Honestly, it’d be chaos otherwise. > [@YogSothoth](#): > > Wouldn’t it also depend on the state? Early voting in California means nothing, we’re going for Clinton. In Florida it might matter a lot It does depend on the state. Here in Minnesota, you can vote early by absentee ballot (starting in a month), but you can submit a 2nd (or 3rd, or 4th…) absentee ballot later. The one with the latest postmark before election day is the one that counts. Or you can actually show up at the polls on election day, and that in-person vote replaces any previous absentee ones. It doesn’t seem to cause any chaos (though it rarely happens). We now have in-person early voting, where you can go to designated places (usually the city clerk’s office) and vote. I don’t know if you can later vote absentee or at the polls on election day after having voted early. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/13 "2016-08-19T14:51:03Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Here in Minnesota, you can vote early by absentee ballot (starting in a month), but you can submit a 2nd (or 3rd, or 4th…) absentee ballot later. The one with the latest postmark before election day is the one that counts. Or you can actually show up at the polls on election day, and that in-person vote replaces any previous absentee ones. It doesn’t seem to cause any chaos (though it rarely happens). It’s a little more work than that. You have to contact the elections office to cancel your original ballot, and you can do this only until a week before the election. If you just mail multiple ballots or show up in person without canceling the previous ballot, you can end up like [this woman](http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/04/02/woman-86-due-in-court-tuesday-in-voter-fraud-case/) who was charged with voter fraud for voting both absentee and in person. [QUOTE=Minnesota Secretary of State] **WHAT IF I RETURNED MY BALLOT AND WANT TO CHANGE MY VOTE?** You can ask to cancel your ballot until the close of business one week before Election Day. After that time, you cannot cancel your ballot. To cancel your ballot, contact the election office that sent your ballot. Your options are to have a new ballot mailed; vote in person at your local election office; or vote at your polling place on Election Day. [/QUOTE] ---
**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:** [August 19, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/14 "2016-08-19T16:37:44Z")
It creates a bandwagon effect, doesn’t it? ---
**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:** [August 20, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/15 "2016-08-20T19:00:18Z")
here in NC it’s so popular to vote early that there are long lines to vote early. And in some cases the lines are much shorter on election day. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-impact-of-early-voting-on-election-results/763003/16 "2016-08-22T22:50:39Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > here in NC it’s so popular to vote early that there are long lines to vote early. And in some cases the lines are much shorter on election day. Voters may be voting early because they’re wary of the long lines and delays in poorly-served polls evidenced in previous elections on the actual election day.