5 Facts About Early Voting
Early Voting can mean the difference between a smooth experience and one that’s unpleasant. Here are 5 interesting facts about Early Voting:
1
There’s often no waiting when you Early Vote.
Because people can vote at different times of the day, on different days, and at multiple locations across your county, it's amazing how minimal the lines are. You can also lower the probability that you will have a line at all if you choose a less popular or more out-of-the-way place to cast your Early Vote.
2
When you don’t Early Vote, you have to vote at your designated polling place.
If vote on Election Day, you are only be allowed to vote at the location designated for you. The location is dictated by your address. Refer to a local website for voting locations (a .gov website is safest) or try www.vote.org to learn which polling location is for you.
3
You can’t Early Vote the weekend before Election Day.
I used to always forget about early voting until right before Election Day. Then I would think I still had time to Early Vote. Nope. That's not how it works.
Early voting closes the Friday evening before the election. Where I live, that’s 7 pm, 3 days before Election Day. Check to verify the last Early Voting day and time in your state.
4
Early In-Person Voting is a privilege, not a right.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (www.ncsl.org), 46 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands offer early in-person voting (this includes states with all-mail elections). And, there are 4 states—Alabama, Connecticut, Mississippi, and New Hampshire—that do not offer pre-Election Day in-person voting options for all voters, though they may offer pre-Election Day in-person voting options for eligible absentee voters.
Having everybody in the county voting on the same day can make it more of a struggle. It usually takes much longer, people may be more irritated and less helpful, it can be harder to take off work or miss class for a few hours to vote, etc. I hope you live in a state where you can vote early.
5
There are lots of places to learn your Early Voting options.
Here are a few:
https://www.rockthevote.org/how-to-vote/nationwide-voting-info/early-voting/
https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/early-voting-in-state-elections.aspx
Check here for general voting info:
https://www.eac.gov/sites/default/files/document_library/files/VotersGuide_508.pdf
No matter when you choose to vote, the important thing is that you do.