Washington
In reply to the discussion: In exactly 9 days, we here in WA are gonna show the rest of the country what revolution looks like. [View all]SheilaT
(23,156 posts)something that very rarely occurs. And had there been no early voting in Minnesota that year and Wellstone had still died, would it have made a difference in the voting?
There's always some kind of a cut off date for getting a name on the ballot, and if a candidate dies after that date, there's never really a good back-up.
Early voting means you can get to the polls when it's convenient for you. How about firefighters who often work 24 hour shifts? Or nurses who work 12 hour shifts? those people are going to be working the entire time the polls are open, so they are disenfranchised.
And of course you don't have to vote early yourself. But too many states with only election day voting report problems every single year with long lines that force some people to give up, or running out of ballots, which we've already seen in the primaries.
I'm under the distinct impression (and do correct me if I'm wrong) that all mail voting has resulted in higher participation.