Early Voting

Not so long ago, Americans assembled on one designated day — Election Day — to choose our national leaders.

For those unable to cast votes on Election Day, early voting and absentee ballots are available options. In-person early voting has the advantage of the individual citizen at a polling place after check-in by election officials.

Today, however, early voting periods have been stretched to absurd lengths, with some states beginning their voting for the November election more than a month or more in advance. There is no empirical evidence that early voting increases turnout, but it does have serious downsides, including:

    • Producing less-informed voters. After casting an early ballot, a voter checks out of the national debate regardless of what happens. They won’t care about the televised debates, won’t consider options, and won’t fully participate in the political process. Many voters have occasionally complained to election officials and representatives of a desire to recast their vote because they have changed their mind. In most, if not all states, this is impossible to do with early voting.
    • Increasing election administration and campaign costs. Elections that drag on for weeks require the logistical costs of administering an election, including more poll workers and salaries associated with the voting process.
    • Facilitating double voting and vote fraud. Counties that utilize early voting need to have the necessary technology to ensure simultaneous verification and record of vote history. Early voting allows voters to vote anywhere in the county, not simply in their precinct. The jurisdictions must have the necessary voting equipment, statewide registration system, and electronic poll book system to prevent individuals from voting more than once in the state or county during the early voting period. It is also more difficult for political parties to secure sufficient poll watchers to monitor polling places for an extended early voting period.

ACRU Commentary

News

Federal Court Overturns Part of NC Voting Reforms

A federal appeals court granted a temporary order on Wednesday that will allow same-day registration and provisional ballots in this fall's North Carolina elections, but refused to intervene on changes that shortened the early voting period. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in Charlotte last Thursday in the case that came after the Republican-led N.C. General Assembly passed a series of changes in 2013. Supporters say the measures are intended to strengthen the integrity of elections. Those who sued to overturn the laws say the changes are unfair because they disproportionately hurt young voters and minorities. Wednesday's ruling means voters can register and vote on the same day during the in-person early voting period, Oct. 23-Nov. 1. The temporary order also allows voters to cast ballots even if they show up at the wrong precinct. All three of the judges who heard the arguments last week were appointed to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals by Democratic presidents.

NC Voter ID Law Will Fight Fraud, Black Conservative Says

U.S. District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder ruled this month that North Carolina's November election can be held under a new voting law, considered one of the toughest in the nation and approved by Republican lawmakers. Opponents challenging the law say it will suppress minority voter turnout. But Schroeder denied their motion to hold the November vote under the old rules, saying the groups failed to show they would suffer irreparable harm. Horace Cooper of Project 21 serves as Director of the National Center for Public Policy Research's Voter Integrity Project. He says the judge clearly didn't buy into the Justice Department's argument. Cooper, Horace (Project 21)"They made up and distorted the case log to try to come up with an argument in this case," he tells OneNewsNow. "And the judge simply didn't buy it. They had to acknowledge that, yes, under the states that have voter ID, they have seen higher black voter turnout."

Justice Department to Intervene in Ohio, Wisconsin Voting Law Cases

The Obama administration plans to join lawsuits against Republican-backed voting restrictions in Ohio and Wisconsin -- two major swing states, Attorney General Eric Holder has said. The moves would represent the first time that Holder's Justice Department has intervened against statewide voting laws outside the areas that the Supreme Court freed from federal oversight in last year's Shelby County v. Holder ruling. They underline the administration's intention to aggressively protect voting rights across the country, not only in the mostly southern jurisdictions directly affected by Shelby. Earlier this year, Ohio's Republican legislature passed laws that cut six days from the early voting period and ended same-day registration, among other restrictions. Secretary of State Jon Husted then announced that there would be no early voting on Sundays or on week-day evenings. A federal judge recently restored early voting on the last three days before the election, but the other cuts remain in force. They're being challenged by the ACLU and other civil rights groups, which allege that they disproportionately affect non-white voters. A brief filed recently by the laws' challengers uses detailed voting records to establish that blacks are far likelier than whites to take advantage of early voting. In 2012, 20% of blacks did so, compared to just 6% of whites. Wisconsin's strict voter ID law was recently struck down by a federal judge, who ruled that it discriminated against black voters. But the state has appealed the ruling, and the litigation is ongoing.

ACLU Sues over Pullback on Early Voting in Ohio

COLUMBUS - The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups filed a federal lawsuit on May 8 against Ohio's elections chief over limits to when voters can cast an early ballot in the perennial battleground state. Ohioans can cast an absentee ballot by mail or in person before Election Day without giving any reason. About 33 percent of those who voted in the 2012 presidential election cast an early ballot. The lawsuit filed in Columbus federal court claims that recent cuts to early voting will make it difficult for tens of thousands of residents to vote and will unfairly affect black voters, who the groups say are more likely to use weekend and evening hours to vote early in elections.

More Vote Fraud Found in Louisiana Mayoral Election

PORT ALLEN - The West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office now says they have found additional people whose signatures were fraudulently submitted during early voting for the mayoral election. In late March, the Sheriff's Office and the Secretary of State began their voter fraud investigation. They're looking into hundreds of applications that were faxed into the West Baton Rouge Registrar for early voting. The applications are a "request for mail-in ballot," and request the Registrar of Voter to send a mail-in ballot.

California to Send Voter Registration Forms to Obamacare Enrollees

In order to pacify left-leaning voter registration groups, California is now opting to send out voter registration forms to each and every Obamacare enrollee. Several California interest groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and left-wing think tank Demos, threatened legal action, the Washington Post reports. Though a link to voter registration was clearly placed on Covered California's homepage, opponents complained that there was no option for those using a paper application or people who bypass the homepage. "Ensuring that all eligible Americans are registered to vote is key to ensuring a robust democracy," Lisa Danetz, legal director Demos, said in a statement. "If other states follow, millions more Americans will have the opportunity to join the voting rolls."