The Election Starts Today

According to the calendar, there are 45 days to election day.  But in reality, the election starts today.  Yes, today, September 19, 2008, some Virginia voters can cast absentee ballots, starting off the early voting calendar.  In all, eight states that allow people to vote in September.  So all of us who are thinking that there is still time to get going on this election, well, we have to think again.  The election is upon us. Votes are being cast today.

A brief scan of county websites indicate that some Virginia counties start their absentee balloting today, while others are waiting until Monday, September 22.  In addition to Virginia, Idaho starts on September 22.

Missouri and South Dakota start voting on September 23.

Iowa and Wyoming start on the 25th.

Nebraska – September 29 and Ohio on September 30.

In reality, today is election day, and every day through November 4 will be election day for someone in this country.

Before we continue, who here has not yet decided for whom to vote?  Is there information likely to come out that would cause you to vote for the other major party’s candidate?  Is there a hotly contested Soil and Water District race for which you just don’t have enough information?  Unlikely.  So, why wait?  

Maybe you like the ritual of going to the polls on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.    OK, a traditionalist.  Nothing wrong with that, except that there are many unforeseen circumstances that could keep you away – such as illness, injury, illness in the family, forced overtime at work, car trouble, etc.  An easy way to guarantee that none of that will interfere with your ability to vote, is to just get it done with early.

I plan to vote on September 25, the first day for absentee voting in Iowa.  Here, we can just walk into the County Auditor’s office and vote.  In some counties, the auditors set up satellite voting locations, such at at shopping malls and grocery stores on particular weekends to accommodate voters.  Or the whole process may be done by mail – mail an absentee ballot request to the county auditor, the auditor sends your ballot, you fill out the ballot and send it back.  I do prefer to go vote at the courthouse in person, but that is just my preference.

An added benefit in Iowa is that the well-organized campaigns will obtain reports from the county auditors on who has already voted and you will be removed from their call list.  The best organized will take you off of their mail list, too.  How good is that?  You save them the call, and save yourself the aggravation of being called repeatedly to remind you to vote.

Complete information for each state is beyond the scope of this diary.  However, for an extensive roundup of voter registration information by state, plus some early and absentee voting information, here is an excellent diary over at the Daily Kos: The Motherlode of All Voter Registration Diaries. by icebergslim

Here is a list of the 26 states with “no fault” absentee voting –  where a voter may vote absentee without providing any reason for being absent on election day (from the National Conference of State Legislatures:

Other states require a voter to meet certain criteria to qualify for an absentee ballot.  The details of those criteria are beyond the scope of this diary.  However, since Virginia starts things off today, here is a list of the criteria which will allow a voter there to vote early (courtesy of the Virginia State Board of Election:

Per § 24.2-700 of the Code of Virginia, the following registered voters may vote by absentee ballot in any election in which they are qualified to vote:

 Any person who, in the regular and orderly course of his business, profession, or occupation or while on personal business or vacation, will be absent from the county or city in which he is entitled to vote;

 Any person who is (i) a member of a uniformed service of the United States, as defined in 42 U.S.C. § 1973ff-6(7), on active duty, or (ii) a member of the merchant marine of the United States, or (iii) who temporarily resides outside of the United States, or (iv) the spouse or dependent residing with any person listed in (i), (ii), or (iii), and who will be absent on the day of the election from the county or city in which he is entitled to vote.  See Absentee Voting Procedures for Overseas Personnel (Military & Non-Military);

 Any student attending a school or institution of learning, or his spouse, who will be absent on the day of election from the county or city in which he is entitled to vote;

 Any person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of election because of a  disability, illness or pregnancy;

 Any person who is confined while awaiting trial or for having been convicted of a misdemeanor, provided that the trial or release date is scheduled on or after the third day preceding the election. Any person who is awaiting trial and is a resident of the county or city where he is confined shall, on his request, be taken to the polls to vote on election day if his trial date is postponed and he did not have an opportunity to vote absentee;

 Any person who is a member of an electoral board, registrar, officer of election, or custodian of voting equipment;

 Any duly registered person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of the election because he is primarily and personally responsible for the care of an ill or disabled family member who is confined at home; or

 Any duly registered person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of the election because of an obligation occasioned by his religion;

 Any person who, in the regular and orderly course of his business, profession, or occupation, will be at his place of work and commuting to and from his home to his place of work for eleven or more hours of the thirteen that the polls are open (6:00 AM to 7:00 PM).

And in Virginia, be sure to check first because the first date for in-person absentee voting may vary according to your location.  The information on Fairfax County’s website indicates that it will start in-person absentee voting today.  However, the websites for the cities of Alexandria and Arlington indicate that in-person voting will not begin until September 22, Monday.  The bottom line on that: check first with the local authorities.

Of course, a large proportion of prospective voters would qualify under at least one of Virginia criteria.

Early voters tend to favor Democrats for many of the reasons suggested in the Virginia criteria.  In addition, some Democratic voters have historically been less motivated to vote, so poor turnouts on election day favored Republicans.  Getting these voters to vote early, often by mail in their own homes, favors Democratic candidates.  As an example of what an effective early voting campaign can accomplish, in the 2000 election in Iowa, George W. Bush received more votes than Al Gore on election day.  But Gore carried the state because of the huge Democratic advantage in early votes.

Getting votes in the bank before election day only helps the chances of electing Democrats.  We have a wonderful opportunity to pull out some close states, even perhaps some which lean Republican, by redoubling our early voting efforts.  And the opportunity to vote early, while registration is still open in many states, only adds to the advantage for a candidate and a party with a well-organized operation on the ground.

The election starts today in Virginia!  

What day does it start in your state? What are you waiting for?

[cross-posted at Diatribune and DailyKos.]