On the Peoria County website there’s an article titled “County Clerk’s Office Encourages Early Voting” (October 9):
The Peoria County Clerk’s Office is ready for the 2006 General Election. It has to be; early voting begins October 16, 2006. While Election Day is Tuesday, November 7, registered voters can begin voting at one of several locations throughout Peoria County as early as next week. The final day to vote early is Thursday, November 2. Persons who have not registered by October 10 and wish to vote in this year’s General Election may do so through Tuesday, October 24. Those living in Peoria County outside the City of Peoria may register during Grace Period Registration at the Peoria County Courthouse. Persons registering during the grace period, however, must also cast their ballot at the time of registration.
Prior to this year’s Primary Election, the Illinois State Legislator and Governor Blagojevich passed a law that allows voters to vote early without having to provide a reason. Although early voters are not required to state a reason, they are required to present photo identification prior to voting. Early voting grants more people an opportunity to vote; the County Clerk’s Office grants more voting opportunities by establishing satellite locations for early voters who live in Peoria County but outside the city of Peoria. An early voting schedule for the General Election follows.
I guess my question is, why? There were already procedures in place to allow for absentee voting. Why the need for reason-free early voting? Apparently it’s an attempt to get more voter turnout. Here’s what a 2004 Washington Post article had to say:
The number of states that offer no-excuse early voting has nearly tripled in the past eight years, fueled in part by the demand for election changes that followed the deadlocked 2000 presidential race. Early voting is transforming the way campaigns do business, and because this presidential race is so closely contested, it could have a significant impact on the outcome.
In some battleground states, voting will commence nearly six weeks before Election Day. For the Bush and Kerry campaigns, that means an earlier start to television, radio and mail advertising, adding to the campaign’s overall cost.
[…] Supporters tout early voting as a way to reverse declining voter turnout. In 2000, only about a third of those registered to vote cast ballots, with more than 50 million opting not to exercise their constitutional right.
In states that offer early voting, the record shows that the convenience has had a modest impact on turnout. It does not turn nonregistered voters into voters, studies show. What it does do, said Michael W. Traugott, a University of Michigan political science professor who has studied the impact of early voting in Oregon, is persuade voters who might miss the odd election to vote more regularly.
I think it would be fair to say that the goal is to woo a lazy electorate to the polls. And I think that’s a waste of time and money. I understand the cynicism many feel toward our electoral system; I understand how some people don’t feel their vote counts due to gerrymandering and other abuses. Nevertheless, it is still a right that only a small percentage of us exercise (less than 40% in non-presidential elections), and that’s a travesty.
Probably the only way people are ever going to get off their collective butts and go to the polls is if the threat arises to take that right away. One would hope that would be enough to motivate people. If it’s not, then I suppose such an apathetic nation as that deserves tyranny.
CJ: I don’t think that taking away the right to vote will affect many people. There is a cancerous apathy that continues to spread that many people choose to fill the victim role and that they cannot change anything so why bother.
Point 1. Instead of berating the voters, maybe we ought to find a way to get better candidates. Anyone really enthusiastic about the two sorry excuses for candidates running for governor? I thought not. Really believe anything much is going to change regardless of which one wins? No, I thought not. Remember how the current governor was going to clean up the corruption of the last one? I don’t think the U.S. Attorney’s office is laying off any staff these days.
Point 2. We have too many elections, and too long campaign seasons. We need to consolidate elections. Every time you turn around somebody is running for something. And this election will hardly be over before people start their presidential campaigns for 2008. It’s ridiculous.
Mouse, I highly recommend the Green Party candidate for Governor. Rich Whitney. http://www.whitneyforgov.org.
Another thought is to make election day a holiday, as it is in many other countries. Having the day off work takes away the primary excuse – plenty of commuters near large cities have a hard time voting within the hours provided.
You could even go so far as to have bbqs or parties near to the polling places, giving away free food. Now free food gets folks to you damn straight! Seriously, I wonder what free food at the polling places would do for turn out? The local party committees could organize & pay for things (not the county or state).
Free food – provided by the party committees – sounds like a good idea – would they serve — pork?
Mouse: Being a candidate today is like being in a mosh pit — good candidates frequently do not want the grief and the microscope of any wrongdoing from the first grade dug up and paraded about…..
Politics can be like being in a pit of writhing snakes — just ask neighborhood leaders what it is like to be constantly biten by politicos? I know I know — such a Pollyanna — just leaves me scratching my head about WE THE PEOPLE all the time…..cooperation, teamwork, solutions, …. you can be left with the feeling that it is a dogpile game and guess who is on the bottom of the heap once again….
You know, now that you mention it, I saw a local candidate standing outside Sheridan Liquors passing out forty-ouncers and talking about his no government paycheck left behind act. He sounded pretty convincing…He explained to me the importance of brown bagging it.
But really, last time I voted I went to the counter and they did not have my information registered and they advised me that I could do one of the absentee vote forms, and make sure I check to see that it gets counted by calling some person’s number that was busy all day and night. I tell you this was in Dunlap at the Banner school.
The sad thing about this is that, If I vote absentee…and its suppposed to count, then why do I have to call back to make sure it was counted?
C.J-the wise one, please explain this to me.
I really hate to say that the voting place had all of the coordination of a Steak ‘N Shake at 3:00 a.m on Main Street.