What is the effect of early and absentee voting?

[faething]

I voted early, and I liked the fact that I didn't have to spend hours waiting in a line on election day like I had to do back in 2000.

[ReliableInsider]

Another issue is that people who fill out an absentee ballot don't get any help from a trained, knowledgeable person who point at the different areas of the sample ballot hanging on the wall, unless the campaign has enough volunteers to be able to send one to your house.

[ReliableInsider]

Maybe you could make the argument that convenience voting distances you emotionally from the fates your neighbors would suffer if you voted for a particularly vicious candidate.

Like applying an electric shock--by flipping a switch--to someone in another country as opposed to someone in the next room.

Forgive me for the horrible image.

[ReliableInsider]

I understand this man's (Curtis Gans's) argument, but I disagree with it.

The great danger of having everyone vote on one day is that a sleazy candidate will make an outrageous attack that is easily refuted if only there were time.

Voting over the course of three weeks actually makes it HARDER on a candidate who wants to make that kind of carefully timed attack.

[junkie4vids]

Vote early and vote often. Obama and ACORN.

[stewart0312]

Yes, Obama will win this election because of ACORN. It has nothing to do with the fact that McCain and Palin totally suck ass.

[ArgonTheAware]

Those are very weak excuses since after 20 months of campagning it would have to be something a lot more earth shattering than the examples he gave to fundamentally change the reasons to vote for someone.

Those are overshadowed by the better reasons for voting by mail of a more easy way of keeping track of the votes and more of a difficulty of influening the vote if it is done by mail that make it more of an advantage.

[dosie451]

If Osama got killed, it would change my vote? I don't think so. None of those scenarios make a difference. If you're voting McCain, you already know you're risking Palin.

It took me 3 days of researching and reading all the propositions before I could be sure. Without absentee voting in CA, people would be disproportionately swayed by TV commercials.

[beffer2000]

I disagree. In the November 1996 election I had every intention of going to vote after work that election day. However, my daughter became sick that afternoon and I had to take her to the doctor. I was not able to get to the polls before they closed. Better to vote early and be guaranteed to have my vote count.

Also, when you start getting all those calls on the phone close to election day, it's nice to be able to quickly end the call by politely saying "Thanks, but I already voted!"

[Mindraker1]

I respect this guy's opinion, but I disagree. I vote absentee because I can't drive. The fire department is miles away, but the local library for absentee voting is right down the street. Am I lazy? Maybe. But I get my ass out there and vote.

[whoo689]

An Attorney General is supposed to represent ALL the people, not just some people and be some big partisan. It saddens me that we have people running for Sec. of State, Treasurer, or Attorney General as either Republicans or Democrats. WTF is that?? You're supposed to represent ALL of my state, not just a fraction. Get rid of that partisan crap. Attorney General isn't supposed to pick and choose which violations he'll go after and which he'll ignore.

I mean, it's so silly.

[whoo689]

I think states should let the governor appoint the Cabinet, not voters. Do voters really know enough to make an informed decision about these office-holders? I doubt it. And making state supreme court partisan is just ludicrous. Courts are supposed to be INDEPENDENT!

[whoo689]

Does state Supreme Court even make any major rulings EVER? It's like they're lazy. I never hear bout any big rulings on the news they've made in the past several years that would affect me, and I'm 21. But we hear about SCOTUS all the time.

[amsoell]

I think this guy might have an argument if there weren't such widespread and documents cases of voter suppression in the swing states. As an Ohio voter, I want to do everything I can to ensure that my vote gets counted. Many voters in the 2004 elections in Ohio were turned away because of an insufficient numbers of booths. If I have the opportunity to show up a few weeks early to cast my vote before the Republican-friendly Ohio board of elections can interfere, I'm absolutely going to take it.

[dynya742]

In general, I agree; however, I will be away working that day. If election day was not on a freaking TUESDAY, it would help!

[Y2ANJ]

disagree with the guy. in fact it seems like complete nonsense. fact is that if it weren't for absentee I wouldn't have been able to research down ballot candidates and public questions to make an informed judgment rather than a snap judgment at a polling place.

[whoo689]

Yeah. What's with all those fucking "Do you want Judge such-and-such to stay on court such-and-such?" I don't e ven know who the fuck they are!! God, there's like 10 diff. judges listed there. I only researched the woman from the Missouri Supreme Court (my state) who they asked to keep. I voted yes. The other judges, I just skipped voting on those. I really could care less. Plus, those probably weren't even federal courts where the pres. appoints them, not voters.

[whoo689]

Half the races on the ballot I didn't even follow until I got the absentee. Then I looked them up online. Of course, I wasn't planning on voting for the failed 2 parties anyway, so I was down to either the Lib or Constitution Party candidates. I only voted for one major party candidate in any of the races on the ballot. And what's with this nonsense of having voters determine all these Cabinet seats?? At the federal level, they're appointed! So why vote on them at the state level?