What is the effect of early and absentee voting?

Nearly a quarter of all the votes cast in this election will be done by absentee or early voting. Curtis Gans, who runs the Center for the Study of the American Electorate has one thing to say about it -- "It's a bad idea". Find out why.

[Skip to 1:38 to find out why it's a bad idea]

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[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.

[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.

[junkie4vids]

Vote early and vote often. Obama and ACORN.

[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.