Voter turnout, Part II
October 29th 2006 23:33
As I wrote in my previous post, voter turnout always seems to be disappointingly low. And for me personally, ease of voting has always been the biggest problem.
This is where I have some good news to report. If you have also struggled with ease of voting issues, the situation has markedly improved in many states now. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
"Thirty states — including Georgia — now allow no-excuse absentee voting, and most of them also allow voters to cast early ballots in person at county clerks' offices or satellite polling places."
Did you catch that? Thirty of our fifty states will now let you vote by absentee ballot – even if you have no excuse whatsoever. You don’t have to be an out-of-state student or work in another part of the state or be in the military. You can vote in the comfort of your own home just because you want to. Additionally, as the article notes, most of those states also allow early voting. If you so desire, you can wait for Election Day. But you can also go in early to vote in an attempt to avoid the crowds or better accommodate your schedule. In Georgia, it seems that early voting takes place the week before the actual election. And the good news is that this increased absentee voting and early voting should decrease the number of people voting on Election Day – making the process on those fun-filled Tuesdays much more tolerable.
All told, these new voting procedures are great news. I have taken advantage of both avenues this election season. I voted early in this year’s primary. When I went in, I was the only person at the precinct (except for the six poll workers). I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. For the general election, I voted via absentee ballot. I was able to take my time, comfortably sit at home and research the candidates and ballot initiatives, and cast my vote well in advance of Election Day. Both methods were very pleasant and certainly an incentive to continue voting. If you don’t already know and are interested, contact your elections office and find out if yours is one of the thirty states now utilizing no-excuse absentee voting and/or early voting. They really do make it easier for you to do your civic duty.
Apart from that piece of good news, I would just encourage you to educate yourself on the candidates and vote in this upcoming election. Regardless of how you vote, it’s important to exercise this right. Voting is the only real way we can keep the true power of this great country right where it belongs – with the people.
This is where I have some good news to report. If you have also struggled with ease of voting issues, the situation has markedly improved in many states now. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
"Thirty states — including Georgia — now allow no-excuse absentee voting, and most of them also allow voters to cast early ballots in person at county clerks' offices or satellite polling places."
Did you catch that? Thirty of our fifty states will now let you vote by absentee ballot – even if you have no excuse whatsoever. You don’t have to be an out-of-state student or work in another part of the state or be in the military. You can vote in the comfort of your own home just because you want to. Additionally, as the article notes, most of those states also allow early voting. If you so desire, you can wait for Election Day. But you can also go in early to vote in an attempt to avoid the crowds or better accommodate your schedule. In Georgia, it seems that early voting takes place the week before the actual election. And the good news is that this increased absentee voting and early voting should decrease the number of people voting on Election Day – making the process on those fun-filled Tuesdays much more tolerable.
All told, these new voting procedures are great news. I have taken advantage of both avenues this election season. I voted early in this year’s primary. When I went in, I was the only person at the precinct (except for the six poll workers). I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. For the general election, I voted via absentee ballot. I was able to take my time, comfortably sit at home and research the candidates and ballot initiatives, and cast my vote well in advance of Election Day. Both methods were very pleasant and certainly an incentive to continue voting. If you don’t already know and are interested, contact your elections office and find out if yours is one of the thirty states now utilizing no-excuse absentee voting and/or early voting. They really do make it easier for you to do your civic duty.
Apart from that piece of good news, I would just encourage you to educate yourself on the candidates and vote in this upcoming election. Regardless of how you vote, it’s important to exercise this right. Voting is the only real way we can keep the true power of this great country right where it belongs – with the people.
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Comment by Deorre
Stress Alive
Man Lessons
VOTE, everybody!!
Comment by PopulistConservative
Angry Electorate
I'll tell you one thing that's pretty silly. So many people are talking conspiracy theories in terms of electronic voting, and many of them are claiming that they are so disgusted that they won't even vote because of it. That's the height of stupidity. If someone votes, there may be a slight chance that the vote doesn't count. However, if they don't even vote at all, there's a 100% chance that the vote won't count.
I'm definitely no Karl Rove fan, but maybe the "evil genius" is spreading doubts about whether folks' votes will count in an effort to discourage them from voting. I'm kidding, but I'm surprised I haven't heard this claim yet.