Early voting? Sure, you can vote now, but why?
We simply don’t understand the urgency of voting weeks before Election Day, which seems to be a growing trend among U.S. voters.
It’s estimated that as many as one-quarter of all votes will be cast before Nov. 6, a growing trend that will leave many voters casting ballots well before all the information is in.
Absentee ballots, first used during the Civil War, for decades were limited to people who simply could not be at the polls on Election Day.
Some states even required voters to sign an affidavit affirming they could not get to the polls. Typical excuses included military service, travel on Election Day or illness or infirmity.
But, starting in the 1970s, election officials began loosening the rules in hopes of expanding voter turnout. Now in more than half the states, including Maine, voters are allowed to request absentee ballots for no reason at all.
The Maine Secretary of State even provides a easy-to-use web request form for requesting an early ballot.
And there is absolutely no reason that people shouldn’t obtain a ballot before Election Day. It gives them an opportunity to see what’s on the ballot and think about it before casting their vote.
We’ve all had the experience of going into the polls and finding some issue or candidate that we’re not familiar with. So, by all means, obtain a ballot and study the issues.
But a political campaign season is like a snowball, the information upon which a decision is based grows as we approach Election Day.
There will be one more presidential debate and weeks of electioneering to come. The candidates will make their points, and momentum is likely shift back and forth several times.
We wouldn’t think of asking a jury to vote before both sides had made their cases and all of the information was in.
In 2010, some Mainers experienced a bit of early voting regret when independent gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler finally got his message out and surged against Paul LePage in the final weeks of the campaign.
Realizing that many voters had voted before he began climbing in the polls, Cutler’s campaign even advised candidates to withdraw their absentee ballots and vote again.
Few did, but we can’t help but wonder how many wished they had waited until they had all of the information before casting their ballot.
The right to vote is precious, and the issues before us are complex.
Mainers should wait until they have the complete picture before casting their vote.
Sun Journal, Lewiston (Oct. 18)
Why because our elections are stupid. Why the heck are they still on Tuesday, and not the weekends?
Absolutely. It really makes it difficult for voters to take time off from work and stand in long lines.
A lot of people work weekends also.
yes, but less. It should be Saturday and Sunday. It has been tuesday since 1845. We really should update it to a more convient time in now, instead of a convient time back in 1845.
We live in Maine and in most small towns in Maine (and we have more small than big) a voter does not have to stand in line for three, four, five hours such as a voter must in cities like Cleveland. One does not have to take time off from work either. It’s a lot more of a problem in the big cities.
And if a voter is still undecided at this point? Well, god love ’em. I guess they haven’t been paying attention and deserve the ‘low information voter’ description. How long has this been going on? For years!! And Romney has been running for years and everybody should know by now what he’s made of. I do not understand how anyone is still undecided.
When I was still working I used the absentee ballot on several occasions because the polls didn’t open until 9 A.M. I worked nights and after 12 hrs. plus a 40 min. commute I was too tired to stay awake until 9 if I had to be back in a 7 P.M. for another 12 hours. Other than that I made it to the polls on election day.
Was this editorial written by Eliot “Take Back Your Absentee Ballot” Cutler?
I voted early, and now I can set back and not worry about voting this year. Most people know where they stand on issues. If you think 23 million people looking for work is a good thing than vote for Obama. if you think we need a change that works than vote for Romney.
You’re implying that 23 million people are unemployed. That’s far, far from the truth.
I know, it’s even more with those who have given up even looking for work.
Simple logic that at first glance I would agree with. I do think that Romney could come up with a quick fix that would give the appearance that all is well, but in the long run not a fix at all. I do think that Obama’s plan is more long term, yet progressing to slow for some voters. My fear is that Obama can’t bring people together to make his plan work.
Obviously I am umdecided but need an absentee ballot as I will be away on election day. I will wait as long as I can.
Vote Republican and rest assured that they will finish off the “Destruction of America” that they started!
IMO, the real critical votes will be those that effect Congress. The current Congress has the lowest approval rating in history, due mostly to the obstrucionist and extremeist that permeate the halls of Congress.
I think just the opposite has happened. Obama’s plan, using government to stimulate the economy, failed. That is why we had an increase in GDP in 2010 and the slowing economy ever since. There was no foundation. Sure you can hire some people by spending borrowed money and giving it to sham companies, but it’s the private sector that must be the foundation for growth and opportunity.
Romney = Rich
Obama = Poor
If you have over 1 Million in Foriegn Tax Shelters– Vote Romney
If you don’t —Vote Obama!
What concerns me about early voting and absentee voting, especially when you live in a small town, is that when you submit your ballot you have to sign your name on the envelope. That creates tremendous potential for your ballot to “disappear” if the people handling them happen to know, and disagree with, your voting tendencies or political bent. That’s why I’m voting in person on election day and putting my unisgned ballot in the ballot box. It will also give me a chance to scout the parking lot for cars with out of state plates from places like Florida, South Carolina, Georgia.
Geeze, I didn’t know that cars were allowed to vote.
Something could happen 2 weeks before an election or 2 weeks after, makes no difference. Early voting makes it extremely difficult for the campaigns to time some kind of “October surprise” or election scandal, which is a very good thing.
Had someone voted already, they might not have known about the Benghazi-gate coverup and the collapse of the Obama foreign policy. This might sway a few people.
You guys are desperate for a scandal.
You guys are desperate to avoid embarrassing and inconvenient truths.
zzzzzzzzzz
“When four Americans get killed, it’s not optimal” – Barack Hussein Obama, 10/18/2012.
And there is a reason that the major parties wanted all the TV debates with all 6 candidates to be as late as possible & close to Nov. 6. They want people to vote early (for them) so they don’t have a chance to change their mind once they see the choices they have for US Senate. They want the TV debates to be meaningless to the outcome of 6 Nov.
BTW remember LePage won (barely) because he pushed very hard for his voters to do “early voting”.
No Andrew, the governor won because people who voted early were unable to change their Dem Libby vote to the other Dem Cutler vote.
I’m more and more convinced that people who remain undecided up till election day are usually people who don’t follow the news and politics and are likely to cast an uninformed vote but I’d never advocate making it harder for them to vote. Eliot Cutler is in danger of making himself a figure like Ralph Nader who is motivated mostly out of being excluded from a debate in the ever receding past and is determined to be a spoiler for the Democratic Party he figures deprived him of being elected. With all that is wrong with the American electoral non-system, including obviously being frequently corrupt, allowing more qualified voters to cast a ballot isn’t one of them. Eliot should grow up.