In the 2010 midterm elections, the overall turnout of eligible voters was forty-one percent. Do you want to know which states had 50% turnout or better? Here they are, with their rules for early voting:
Minnesota: 55.4% – Yes, but you’ll need to provide a valid excuse.
Maine: 55.3% – You may vote early in person, no excuse required.
Washington: 53.2% – Yes, but voting is done by mail.
South Dakota: 52.8% – You may vote early in person using an absentee ballot, no excuse required.
Oregon: 52.7% – Voting is done by mail.
Wisconsin: 52.1% – You may vote early in person using an absentee ballot, no excuse required.
Alaska: 52.0% You may vote early in person using an absentee ballot, no excuse required.
Colorado: 50.7% – You may vote early in person, no excuse required.
Iowa: 50.0% – You may vote early in person, no excuse required.
Minnesota is the only state on the list that has any restrictions at all on early voting. Early voting boosts turnout. And that’s the real reason that conservatives don’t like it. They make up all kinds of reasons to not like early voting, some of which have some validity to them, but they give away the game when they also call same-day voter registration “a crackpot idea.” They dislike same-day registration because it boosts turnout. They love photo ID requirements because it depresses turnout, and does so disproportionately to the other side.
The Republicans want to minimize the number of moochers who will appear at the polls refusing to take any personal responsibility for their lives and voting for government handouts. That’s how they roll.
The way the Democrats roll is that we try to get all our committed voters to the polls early so nothing happens like an illness or car trouble on Election Day that costs us their votes. Then we can cull our walking and call lists down to the people we know have not yet voted and can be much more efficient in our ground game. So, if you live in a state that allows early voting, please take advantage of it. It will make the organizers’ jobs easier and it will free you up on Election Day to be an organizer, too.
This is how the Obama campaign can win the election and help elect a Democratic House while strengthening our numbers in the Senate. Anything less will be unacceptable.
