So why vote early?

[ouwasp]

I understand the idea of absentee voting, like if a person was gonna be out of town.

But why vote early just for the sake of voting early? To avoid crowds in the big cities...I guess that sounds okay on the surface, but then why are there stories and shots of voters standing in early voting lines for 3 hrs?

Had a brief encounter with a yellow-dog demo friend of mine today (we live in a town of about 10K, crowds are not an issue here). He mentioned he had already voted with a sort of sheepish grin on his face. He even made light of "being optimistic about four more yrs of hope and change"...so be it. He's a great guy, Vietnam vet, etc.

I couldn't stick around, but got to thinking after the fact... why did he vote early? No big deal, just wonder why this is trending?

Guess I'm just old-fashioned in the sense that I prefer to go vote on Election Day.

[SanJoaquinSooner]

It's just the hassle factor. Plus you can take your time and study the more obsure races and propositions. And finally, if I forget my photo ID, the mailman will still accept my absentee ballot.

[olevetonahill]

It's just the hassle factor. Plus you can take your time and study the more obsure races and propositions. And finally, if I forget my photo ID, the mailman will still accept my absentee ballot.

Ima just say it, I think the Votin early and absentee ballot is a bunch of BS
I can see the Absentee IF you are in the Military or work or Live O/S the US temporarily. A few other case , But just cause ya dont want to be hasseled with Crowds that aint right IMHO.
jaun why cant ya take yer time and study all the Props BEFORE ya go to the Poles?

I think the Early voting and the Absentee deal are Invites for Voter fraud

[Skysooner]

Some of us work a long way from our polling place. I work roughly 5 am until 5 pm and don't get home until after 6 pm. If I am on a project there is no taking off early. I vote early so that my vote counts.

[olevetonahill]

Some of us work a long way from our polling place. I work roughly 5 am until 5 pm and don't get home until after 6 pm. If I am on a project there is no taking off early. I vote early so that my vote counts.

See my Previous post. I said Voting early just to avoid a crowd aint a good nuff reason IMHO
If you get home at 6 why cant ya stop on yer way home? Its only once every 2 years er so?

[cleller]

I've been wondering about that, too. The lines I've seen on TV in Tulsa and OKC look longer that the lines you'd normally see at you regular voting places. Plus, I think the early voting is only at the election board, vs dozen of precincts on election day.

I'm lucky enough to live somewhere I don't have to worry about lines. Until this year, we voted at the tiny Sac and Fox Indian nation near us. This year, they moved the voting place to Stroud, 10 miles away.
To save on hassle and gas, we got absentee ballots, and voted weeks ago. Very easy to do.

Go to the Oklahoma State election website and print out the absentee form. Mail it to your county election board. They mail the ballots to you. The only catch is that it must be notarized. Any notary must do this for free, however. I did mine when I renewed a tag last month.

[Skysooner]

See my Previous post. I said Voting early just to avoid a crowd aint a good nuff reason IMHO
If you get home at 6 why cant ya stop on yer way home? Its only once every 2 years er so?

True you did. Unfortunately 6 is only a possibility. There are days I'm here until midnight and traffic here is a real pita. Plus lines at 7 pm.

[olevetonahill]

True you did. Unfortunately 6 is only a possibility. There are days I'm here until midnight and traffic here is a real pita. Plus lines at 7 pm.

If Ive read things right , here In OK an employer has to allow a worker at least 2 paid hours to vote. Not a clue about where YOU live tho

[Skysooner]

If Ive read things right , here In OK an employer has to allow a worker at least 2 paid hours to vote. Not a clue about where YOU live tho

Colorado and they probably do. It was just easier to vote early by mail and get it done. I had more time to read the propositions and relax about it as the decision was done. Unfortunately for me, I am in a job that doesn't always regular hours and 2 hours wouldn't be enough to drive down to the voting place, vote and get back (or it would be really close).

[jk the sooner fan]

i detest long lines
i voted last thursday
the process wasnt any different than it will be today

there were A LOT of people voting early

so to sum up - i like early voting - yes indeed

[rock on sooner]

Colorado and they probably do. It was just easier to vote early by mail and get it done. I had more time to read the propositions and relax about it as the decision was done. Unfortunately for me, I am in a job that doesn't always regular hours and 2 hours wouldn't be enough to drive down to the voting place, vote and get back (or it would be really close).

Colorado does have the voting rule, or at it least it did when I lived
there until '89...I used to always vote on election day until a few years
ago. It turns out to be easier to do absentee and is a sure fire survey
stopper when ya tell em "I already voted."

[Skysooner]

Colorado does have the voting rule, or at it least it did when I lived
there until '89...I used to always vote on election day until a few years
ago. It turns out to be easier to do absentee and is a sure fire survey
stopper when ya tell em "I already voted."

It also gave me a great answer with all of the polling calls in the evening. It saved my wife however as she isn't the most organized, and she didn't vote absentee. She took the call last night and had them look up her polling place *sigh*

[LiveLaughLove]

The majority of early voters are democrats. The majority of voters on election day are republicans.

That's why there is early voting.

Also it gives democrats a longer time to ballot stuff.

[OUinFLA]

Same question bothers me here in Florida where we had wait times of up to 5 hours for early voting.

We have mail in absentee voting. Which requires some forethought and planning, so that is out for the general masses, but it fills a need for those voters who are going to be out of town, or are incapacitated and can't get to the polls. So, I am in favor of keeping that option.

We have "early voting" for 10 days prior to the election, which is where the long lines and wait times have occured.
The problem seems to be in a state of 15 Million people, we have 300 early voting locations.
While on election day we have 6000 polls open.

over 4 million people utilized "early voting" this year. That averages out to 13 thousand voters filing into 300 early voting locations.

The remaining 5-6 million voters (my estimate on the number) now vote in 6000 polling places. That averages out to 800 - 1000 voters per polling place.

I voted today. Showed up at 7:15, was finished by 8:10. When I got there, there were 100 or so people standing in line waiting. I assume mostly people who need to be at work by 8 am. When I walked out of the polling place, there were less than 10 in line.

Early voting and standing in line for a few hours makes no sense to me. Other than those who have conflicts with scheduling to vote on election day. I am just having trouble imagining that many people not being able to take an hour off before work or after work to vote on election day.

Besides, I am always suspicious that those absentee ballots and early voting ballots get lost in the world of displaced electrons. So, I vote wearing my tin-foil hat on election day.

[SanJoaquinSooner]

Ima just say it, I think the Votin early and absentee ballot is a bunch of BS
I can see the Absentee IF you are in the Military or work or Live O/S the US temporarily. A few other case , But just cause ya dont want to be hasseled with Crowds that aint right IMHO.
jaun why cant ya take yer time and study all the Props BEFORE ya go to the Poles?

I think the Early voting and the Absentee deal are Invites for Voter fraud


Once you've gone absentee voting, you never go back.

I like sit down, drink coffee, and eat pastries while voting. At the voting place, they make you wait in line, stand up while voting, and they don't serve snacks. And then there's all those germs from other people.

Really vet, I don't see what difference it makes. I voted my conscience - that's what matters.

[badger]

Early voting on presidential election years is long line city. Don't vote early in the presidential years!

[hawaii 5-0]

I vote at home on my couch.

I sit in front of my TV set and the talking heads tell me who to vote for.

Now I must go outside and consume human flesh.

5-0

[cleller]

Ima just say it, I think the Votin early and absentee ballot is a bunch of BS
I can see the Absentee IF you are in the Military or work or Live O/S the US temporarily. A few other case , But just cause ya dont want to be hasseled with Crowds that aint right IMHO.
jaun why cant ya take yer time and study all the Props BEFORE ya go to the Poles?

I think the Early voting and the Absentee deal are Invites for Voter fraud

Some defense of absentee voting:

I had the ballots in my hand, and all the time needed to read them, go online to research etc. This is much better than trying to find the questions and candidates before the election, and stare at a computer screen to try and understand them. Also better than standing at some voter booth, and seeing them for the first time in your life, and trying to decide while people are waiting behind you.

To get the ballot, you must correctly fill out the application, and have it mailed to your registered address. Once it is filled out, a notary must verify your name and address against the ballot before it can be mailed in.

As far as the ballot being tampered with, it doesn't seem any more vulnerable than casting one at the polling place. The risks of someone paying people to go thru this multi-step process seems less than paying them to ride down to the polls to vote.

[SanJoaquinSooner]

Some defense of absentee voting:

I had the ballots in my hand, and all the time needed to read them, go online to research etc. This is much better than trying to find the questions and candidates before the election, and stare at a computer screen to try and understand them. Also better than standing at some voter booth, and seeing them for the first time in your life, and trying to decide while people are waiting behind you.

To get the ballot, you must correctly fill out the application, and have it mailed to your registered address. Once it is filled out, a notary must verify your name and address against the ballot before it can be mailed in.

As far as the ballot being tampered with, it doesn't seem any more vulnerable than casting one at the polling place. The risks of someone paying people to go thru this multi-step process seems less than paying them to ride down to the polls to vote.

Notary not required in California. Just sign and mail it in.

[olevetonahill]

Once you've gone absentee voting, you never go back.

I like sit down, drink coffee, and eat pastries while voting. At the voting place, they make you wait in line, stand up while voting, and they don't serve snacks. And then there's all those germs from other people.

Really vet, I don't see what difference it makes. I voted my conscience - that's what matters.

I aint went yet, Prolly go around 2 er so , may wait till as late as 6 depends on my mood
I walk in ,They say Hi Vet, SHOW my ID get a ballot, SIT down mark mu choices and get up put the Bqallot in the lil machine thingy. then say See Yall next time.

The Issue is , IMHO that if ya dont need it and yer just doing it because ya think its EASIER, Then it aint right and like I said before , It opens up a vast amount of opportunity Voter fraud.

[rock on sooner]

I aint went yet, Prolly go around 2 er so , may wait till as late as 6 depends on my mood
I walk in ,They say Hi Vet, SHOW my ID get a ballot, SIT down mark mu choices and get up put the Bqallot in the lil machine thingy. then say See Yall next time.

The Issue is , IMHO that if ya dont need it and yer just doing it because ya think its EASIER, Then it aint right and like I said before , It opens up a vast amount of opportunity Voter fraud.

Vet, it sounds like your polling place is staffed by long time volunteers
in a fairly small community. In defense of my "easier" point, for the last
49 years I've lived in a larger metropolitan area and have stood in long lines
for a long time, in some cases, in cold/wet weather to cast my vote. As I
have gotten a little older, my patience has gotten a little shorter. Volunteers
at polling places, bless 'em all, may be poorly trained, supplies run out, machines
don't work, etc. Getting an absentee ballot and doing it that way, with a high
degree of confidence in the integrity of the system, just makes more sense to me.

Sides all that, just got a pot of gumbo going and will sit and eat and watch the
returns tonight, knowing that I've exercised my privilege and voted.

[Soonerjeepman]

so the dem's can vote twice and get all the dead people to vote...

[MamaMia]

If I would have known I was having chemo, I would have gotten an absentee ballot. Being able to vote in my jammies under my blanky would have come in real handy today.

[olevetonahill]

so the dem's can vote twice and get all the dead people to vote...

Thats MY thots :highly_amused:

Ima Vote then Drank my
http://kcen.images.worldnow.com/images/19585361_BG2.jpg

[olevetonahill]

If I would have known I was having chemo, I would have gotten an absentee ballot. Being able to vote in my jammies under my blanky would have come in real handy today.

Like I said Mom, IF theres a Valid reason Im OK with it
Just cause yer Lazy er just wanta have it easier then NO

[SanJoaquinSooner]

so the dem's can vote twice and get all the dead people to vote...

Well there are more dead Democrats than Republicans by a long shot.

[olevetonahill]

Well there are more dead Democrats than Republicans by a long shot.

Thats cause WE better shots Than yall.

[TAFBSooner]

Thats cause WE better shots Than yall.

Vet, last time we were shooting each other en masse, the conservatives were Democrats and the Republicans were liberals.

May we not shoot each other en masse ever again.

[olevetonahill]

Vet, last time we were shooting each other en masse, the conservatives were Democrats and the Republicans were liberals.

May we not shoot each other en masse ever again.

Heh

[rainiersooner]

Flip side is in Washington state, it's all mail ballot...I miss being able to physically go to the polls...you know, so I can heckle people about voting for Obama.

[jkjsooner]

I think the Early voting and the Absentee deal are Invites for Voter fraud

I disagree with this. At least where I live the early voting offices had people coming in and out but were not crazy. I'd bet they can be a little more careful about verfying you when it's not a mad-house.

I voted early because it was convenient. It doesn't mean I wouldn't have stood in line to vote but I'm not going to do so just to prove my patriotism either.