Early Voting: A New Trend with Hints of the Past

The current trend toward early voting--from several weeks to several days in advance--is a recent trend that began to pick up speed in 2000. This year fully one-third of all voters are expected to cast their votes before Election Day.

Several aspects of early voting present us with reminders of how voting occurred in the past. During colonial times elections took place on the village green and voting was done viva voce. While this was sometimes rapidly conducted by "groupings" or a "show of hands," at other times, each voter was expected to step forward and announce how he was casting his vote. The crowd would react with cheers or boos. Because an ongoing tally of the votes was known by all in attendance (and this type of voting was certainly time-consuming), people in the crowd who were disappointed in the direction the vote was going would often ride off on horseback to locate other voters to come to the village green to help their cause.

As I hear the evening reports about what percentage of that day's early voters in a particular state are Democrats and what percentage Republicans, it reminds me of the colonists who had the time to look for additional voters. For several nights, reporters in various states have noted that thus far the Democrats were outnumbering the Republicans. Like their colonial forefathers, I would expect Republicans in those areas are out "rounding up" more voters. Forewarned, forearmed.

In the long run, however, this trend toward early voting seems destined for a bright future. While a good number of voters have feared that early votes "don't count," this is an irrational fear. A prolonged voting period should actually offer an opportunity to spot abuses taking place at the polls and rectify them before Election Day has passed. In addition, the extended voting period allows voters to choose when they vote. This greater convenience should serve to increase voter participation.

With thirty states now offering some form of early voting, perhaps it's time for all fifty to take a look at this sort of arrangement. In 2004, only 55 percent of registered voters actually cast ballots. Any measures that can be taken that will increase this percentage strengthen us by increasing each individual's investment in deciding our shared future.

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Comments

[XME]

I would agree that all states need to have early voting. I live in VA where they only offer "absentee" early voting (you have to be out of town for the day, etc.)

I also think they need to move election day to the weekend...OR...they should have election week, where there is a 7-day period where you can vote.

[tinarm]

I love early voting. When your in town you can stop by and vote, it's great. I watched about how Nevada actually has voting machines in malls and stuff like that. If we make voting easier and less time consuming more people would vote. Unfortunatly, republicans try to keep the totals down, they don't want everyone to vote. Everyone vote early if you can so we can make sure Obama wins on the 4th. Don't get comfortable imagine four years of McCain shuffling and Palin waltzing in the white house. That should get you going.

[Column5]

Early voting certainly has advantages, and I think it's a fine idea as it's practiced in Illinois, where an early voter has to show up at a polling place and cast a secret ballot. But I'm worried about the potential for abuse in the 28 states that allow people to vote by mail without an excuse.

If somebody can see my ballot before I send it in, there is potential for me to sell my vote, or for somebody to intimidate me into voting for Candidate X. The secret ballot makes such abuse harder, because a person who wants to buy or coerce my vote cannot be sure what I did in the privacy of the voting booth.

Just wait for the fuss that will come when the loser of a close election starts to point out that some of those mail-in votes were bought or coerced. (As some of them inevitably were.) This is a disaster waiting to happen. More on this - see http://jl-columnfive.blogspot.com/2008/10/death-of-secret-ballot-and-inevitable.html)

[jingles01]

I vioted early.

[Herb1843]

Not only did I viote early, I voted as well. (My fingers often forget how to spell, too.)