Imagine that it’s election day.
- You’re so sick you can’t even get out of bed. You feel light-headed, nauseous, headache-y, the whole thing. If only you could have voted yesterday, when you felt fine.
Or
- You just got word of a family emergency. You have to leave town immediately and have no idea how long you’ll be gone. Election day is tomorrow. If only you had been able to vote early.
Or
- You have a fear of crowds and feel anxious at the very thought of all the people at the polling place. If only you had an excuse that qualified you for an absentee ballot. But agoraphobia is not on the list. Will you brave the polls or stay home? Not an easy question.
This is real life. It does not accommodate elections.
But we can enable elections to accommodate real life.
Thirty-six states have already done it. They allow early voting and no-excuse absentee voting, which means you don’t have to give a qualifying reason for an absentee ballot. All you have to do is ask for it.
New York is one of only 14 states without early voting. We need to catch up! Here’s how we can do it:
- Include state funding for early voting in the budget.
- Set up early voting for two weeks before an election including two weekends.
- Schedule extended voting hours on several weekdays.
- Give counties the option of adding voting sites according to the number of voters, the number of assembly districts, and the distance and method of getting to a voting site.
- Use electronic poll books instead of printed books. This will reduce costs, increase accuracy, and lower administrative burdens.
Voting is essential to a healthy democracy. It should be as easy as possible for citizens to vote. Early voting goes a long way in that direction.
Let’s do it!