Early voting for the 2024 presidential election is underway, and the numbers have been massive. On its first day of early voting, Georgia had more than 300,000 people cast ballots, shattering previous opening-day records. North Carolina had a record first day as well, topping 350,000.
Should we allow so many people to vote before Election Day? Certainly, some exceptions have always existed for absentee ballots when people know they will be out of town, facing a medical procedure, or similar circumstances. However, we should question whether opening early voting to all makes sense.
One can easily see the attraction of early voting because it presents certain advantages. Americans in the 21st century live busy lives. We have demanding jobs, kids’ activities, home upkeep, community groups, religious services, and other obligations week after week. Early voting permits some who might forget to vote or simply run out of time more opportunities to squeeze in casting a ballot.
Early voting allows political parties and campaigns to bank votes from decided voters, thus freeing up get-out-the-vote efforts to focus on those voters sitting on the electoral fence. This option also heightens the chance of getting low-propensity voters to the polls.
Along those lines, we had a nearly 67% voter turnout in 2020. More people participating in choosing our representatives is a good thing.
That all said, we should not deny the drawbacks of early voting. For one, expansive early voting could keep those voters from casting a fully decided ballot. Sure, many who go in early feel confident in their decision. Many would not change their vote for any realistic news item to come in late October.
However, some might have changed their minds if given a few more weeks. This point especially pertains to downballot races and initiatives, which often get low to no attention from voters focused on the presidential race. More time could mean more informed voters.
Another reason we should be wary of early voting pertains to perceptions of accurate, honest vote counting. Some think the 2020 election, where we had unprecedented early and absentee voting, was stolen. One need not agree with those claims to recognize the possible problems: the longer the time between votes being cast and counted, the longer the time to find a reason to accuse the process of being rigged. This point is not as worrisome when those votes make up a small portion of the total cast. When they now make up a huge part, even a majority, the stakes rise considerably.
Another reason points to civic education. Having a particular Election Day is not only traditional. Voting days used to be times of concentrated reflection about and action regarding our citizenship. Yes, we are quite busy with our lives. However, we citizens of the United States could use a day when we all do the same thing, vote, and all consider the importance of that act as a collective political community.
In fact, we should return voting days to the times of celebration and energetic exertion they used to be in America. We should, in fact, make Election Day a holiday. We should have parades, such as our ancestors did. We should have speeches and parties (beyond the small groups attending the various candidates on election night). These moments could teach us and our children to better appreciate our role as the ultimate human sovereigns in our country, exercising our power in one of its most important ways.
Early voting on a mass scale likely isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, which is too bad. What we gain thereby, we could hopefully procure by other approaches, and what we lose risks undermining a golden opportunity to reinforce our democratic values.
Vote this election cycle. However, if possible, do so on Election Day. Talk about it with your neighbors and take your children with you. Use the time to bolster our understanding of America as a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
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Adam Carrington is an associate professor at Ashland University.