The opportunity to early vote is legal and available in 33 states, plus Washington, D.C. The benefits of the existence of early voting easily benefits people at any stage of life. For college students, the glory of early voting is that typically, an early voting precinct will be set up on or near their designated college campus. Early voting typically lasts at least a week before Election Day, and versus having to go on one specific day, college students can go and vote whenever it is convenient for them in their busy schedule. Also, when early voting, one is not restricted to go to their assigned precinct, which is not always convenient for the average voter. During early voting, one is able to go to any precinct hosting early voting. Also, early voting dates ease the long lines of Election Day voting, as well as shorter lines on actual early voting days. This is convenient for the elderly and/or disabled. Also, for the working class, early voting days can be worked around with a daily work schedule.
With the benefits of early voting, there is also going to be some blowback in regards to American citizens having the choice to vote before November 8th. A more recent argument from the North Carolina Republican Committee arguing against early voting is that "early voters could die before election day." However, this assumption is not even correct. There is a specific state law in place, requiring citizens to be alive on Election Day in order for their votes to be counted. This law is even enforced because all early voting ballots are done on retrievable ballots, and in the event of an early voting citizen passing away prior to Election Day, the county board of elections is notified by the Social Security Administration, or the Registrar of Deeds. When this message is passed along, the ballot is simply removed.
Another argument against early voting is that voters will make uneducated, snap decisions prematurely. John McGinnis, a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, claimed, “People will be able to vote when the mood strikes them—after seeing an inflammatory ad, for example. Voting then becomes an incoherent summing of how various individuals feel at a series of moments, not how the nation feels at a particular moment.” This argument towards early voting in itself is extremely inaccurate. No one is forcing you to make a snap decision on the next political leaders and forcing you into the polls on an early voting day. No one is making it a requirement for one to vote before Election Day. Early voting is simply an option for people, and the fact that the early voting period stretches on for a week or more is even more helpful. American citizens can educate themselves over a span of time before going to the polls for any of the available early voting days. If anything, only having just one voting day would most likely evoke people to vote more quickly than what they would be comfortable with.
Early voting has proven to be efficient for a multitude of reasons, no matter what stage of life in which someone is in. Nobody should have to be asked to put their life on hold, or drastically readjust their daily lifestyle to decide local and/or national leaders. One's mindset should be as clear and relaxed as possible when entering the polls and making such fragile and imperative decisions about those who are going to represent the American people. Every vote does count, and the only way to prevent people from making hastily thoughtless decisions on the ballot is to give the people as much time as they need.
