Now that the first polls will be closing in less than an hour, here are my thoughts on early voting. It isn't smart voting. It isn't a wise program. Why?Imagine casting your vote for the candidate of your choice roughly a month before election day. Let's say that neither candidate is quite what you would choose, but you choose the lesser of what you consider to be two evils. I'm not saying that's the case this election cycle, just an example. So you've made your choice based on who you think will do the least harm to the country. Faced with reports of expected record turnout and long lines at the polls, and quite possibly the prospect that your employer won't afford you the time off to vote on election day, you decide to cast your vote early.
Then, two weeks before election day, two weeks after you cast your early vote, an "October surpise" comes out -- serious allegations of misconduct committed by your candidate. Documented evidence is uncovered that the candidate you cast an early ballot for very likely is guilty of something that you find extremely offensive.
Now what? It's too late for you to change your vote. It's too late for you to decide that your "lesser of two evils" was actually the greater of two evils. Even though election day is still two weeks away, it's too late for you to make a fully informed voting decision.
This has no bearing at this point on today's election. And I admit that the scenario above is quite extreme. However, it is not at all implausible. Stranger things have happened (remember 2000?).
It is for this reason that I think early voting should be eliminated. I am fully in favor of the original system of absentee ballots, which allowed any citizen to request a ballot and cast their vote in advance of election day if they were not able to be in their precinct to cast a ballot in person on election day. In fact, the first ballot I ever cast was by absentee while serving in the U.S. Army. Absentee ballots are essential, and used to be controlled and used only for verifiable absentee reasons.
Early voting? It's a sham! Why do you think Barack Obama invested so much time and energy in encouraging voters to vote early for him? Because once cast, an early ballot cannot be undone. Should we have actually learned the truth (as I suspect it) about Barack Obama, or identified his culpability in ACORN voter fraud, or discovered that his birth certificate was indeed a forgery, it would be too late for you to change your vote. What then? You either voted for a criminal in the White House, or should he have been removed from the ballot, you voted for Joe Biden. Neither option, to me, is attractive.
I encourage you, fellow Americans, not to fall prey to the sham of early voting in future elections. Your vote is a valuable asset that should not be taken lightly. Don't take the chance of throwing it away by casting it early.
Your comments?
Joe
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