What impact has early voting had on Election Day voting?
In the 13 hours between 6:00AM and 7:00PM today, only 59 voters showed up to vote in Dorr 3 at the Woodstock VFW. Five election judges were there, resulting in an approximate cost of $900-1,000 for the 59 votes. You can figure the cost-per-vote.
Is early voting really a good idea? How much is early voting costing us, the taxpayers? What's wrong with just having voting on Election Day, like in the "old days."
Frankly, I think early voting ought to be done away with, and voters should arrange their lives to vote on Election Day. Laws require employers to give time off (two hours, as I recall), so that voters can vote. Why does voting have to be strung out as it now is?
You never know who is interested…
3 months ago
3 comments:
I’ve said it before and will say it again. “Early voting is wasteful and stupid.”
It’s wasteful in that absentee voting has ALWAYS been available for those whose schedules or travel plans require it out of necessity. All it required was a small amount of forethought on the voters’ part. Forethought being a requisite part of exercising your authority as a voter in the first place.
It’s stupid in that voting up to a month before the election, you may end up voting for candidates and initiatives that may drop off the ballot in that time span. In politics, even 24 hours can be an eternity. In that period of time, the peoples’ focus on candidates and issues sharpens dramatically, as does that of the media, and you may find out information that can radically change your opinions, no matter how well-considered your Early Vote may have been at that time. Result? Votes wasted.
In the end it’s a civic duty, even a sacrament. Our shared citizenship, duties and responsibilities are just that – shared. The less we acknowledge and participate in a shared duty, a shared responsibility on a given, shared day; the less community we have.
If it were not for early voting, I would not vote. I have an issue with one of the election judges at my polling place that works EVERY election. No WAY will I vote if it means having to see him.
If it's a personal thing, that's one thing. If it has to do with voting procedures/process or site atmosphere, maybe you should let the County Clerk know about it.
You could always vote absentee, if there was no Early Voting.
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