Ten Thought-Provoking Reasons to Vote Early
If President Carter can do it, so can you!
Here in Arizona, we're lucky to be the pioneers of no-excuse voting by mail. The system has been available in Arizona for over two decades, and is extremely popular: in the 2020 general election, approximately 89% of ballots cast were early ballots. But for ballots being mailed back, Maricopa County is currently underpacing both the 2022 and 2020 elections.
Voting early offers a host of benefits to us, the voters. Here are 10 reasons to vote early that you may not have considered.
Convenience. Instead of all of us voting on one single high-stakes weekday, early voting allows each of us to pick a date and time that works for our schedules. If you work long or odd hours, take care of young kids, or otherwise have a busy life (and these days, who doesn't?), early voting is for you. In terms of modern conveniences, it's up there with tap-to-pay and phone-based digital payment apps.
Faster results. The earlier we all return our ballots, the faster we'll see results! So-called "late earlies," or early ballots dropped off at the polls on Election Day, take the longest to process — in fact, by state law, the envelopes can’t even be opened until the day after the election. Conversely, if you return your mail ballot by the Friday before Election Day, your vote will most likely be counted and reported as part of the 8 PM tally on Election Night.
Makes it stop. Are you an introvert? Do you hate it when strangers call you or knock on your door? Then early voting is for you! Campaigns use publicly available information to track who has voted. They do not want to spend their valuable time and resources chasing voters who have already cast ballots. Once you vote early, the political texts and phone calls will grind to a halt, and candidates and volunteers will stop knocking on your door.
Easier on poll workers. If more people vote early, that eases congestion on Election Day, which in turn means poll workers can do their jobs better. Working the polls on Election Day is a long, grueling day: 5:30 AM to 8 PM. Reducing the load on these public servants gives them a chance to work out problems when they aren't on a tight deadline, and that's in the best interest of our elections and our democracy as a whole.
An insurance policy. Voting early ensures your voice will still be counted even if you get sick, have a flat tire or fender bender, or experience some other day-wrecking calamity that precludes you from appearing at your polling place in person between 6 AM and 7 PM on Nov. 5, 2024. Believe it or not, that even includes dying before Election Day. As a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office says, “A vote is considered legally cast once an eligible voter places it in the mail or drop box. It is not based on if the person is alive once it’s counted.”
Everyone's so happy that 100-year-old former president Jimmy Carter has already voted. Be like President Carter, and jump on it! Improves trust. By making voting more convenient and reducing the likelihood of problems on Election Day, early voting helps improve the trust in our election system that has been eroded by politically motivated attacks.
Saves time. This year's ballot is 4 pages (2 pieces of paper printed on both front and back). Maricopa County's ballot contains over 70 decisions, and other counties' ballots are similarly clogged. Voting early keeps you from having to spend an entire Tuesday standing in a long line of people who have never heard of most of the candidates and must research every question before they can bubble in an oval. And with mail balloting, you can bubble those ovals at your leisure.
Mistake-proof. Forget a required item for early in-person voting, such as a form of ID? No sweat! You can just go back to the early voting site another time. (And remember, if you vote by mail, you won’t need ID at all.)
Makes desperation irrelevant. When more people vote early, it's harder for "October surprise"-style last-minute news to have an outsized influence on the outcome. That reduces the incentive for campaigns to stage those irritating, desperate last-minute tactics designed to capture headlines and turn off voters.
Exciting. Making our voices heard is exciting, and you might not want to wait!
Get those ballots in!
This November, Maricopa County alone expects over 350,000 ballots dropped off across 235 voting locations. Early ballots MUST be mailed by Tuesday, October 29. If your ballot is not received by Election Day, by state law, your vote cannot be counted — so after a certain point, dropping off your ballot in person at a voting location is better than mailing it, even if it delays our election results.
It probably took you five minutes to read this post. In that time, you could have opened the yellow envelope on your kitchen table and gotten one page done. Why not start now? Here's the CEBV Ballot Cheatsheet with our recommendations for the judges, state and county propositions, and school board races in your area. (If you enter your address, you'll get ballot recommendations tailored to your location!) Or read our full voter guide at azvoterguide.us.
Not on the early voting list?
That’s okay too; you can still vote TODAY! Visit arizona.vote to find a voting location near you.
Happy voting!
