The pitfalls of early voting
In The Week magazine's editor's letter, Francis Wilkinson votes against this balloting option
Voting is already under way in much of the country, well before the first Tuesday in November. More than two-thirds of Americans live in states or localities that permit early voting, an innovation designed to increase voter turnout. According to a recent report in The New York Times, turnout has increased only slightly in recent years, despite the convenience of voting by mail. But that doesn’t mean early voting hasn't had an impact.
Some lament the lack of public spirit, of collective endeavor, that voting alone at your kitchen table entails. But there are other reasons to begrudge early voting. Campaigns have beginnings, middles, ends. Some are dull throughout while others unfold like a thriller, the outcome uncertain until the final page. Still others are wrenched in wild directions by late developments — a botched debate, a character flaw exposed, a policy blunder. To vote early in such instances is to vote prematurely, like a jury deciding a case before the evidence is in. Early voting also has another dubious consequence: It favors the wealthiest candidate. With voting extended over multiple weeks, poorer campaigns are frequently off the air (and out of the mailbox) during the first weeks of voting. Zillionaires, meanwhile, can flood the airwaves unanswered in the early going, gaining yet another advantage from wealth. The convenience of early voting is undeniable—for the elderly, the disabled, or even the routinely harried. But as in so many instances, convenience has its price. Buyer’s remorse, that doleful byproduct of the franchise, was once kept at bay until after November. For October's early voters, it can settle in before next month’s ballots have even been counted.
—Francis Wilkinson
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 21, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - devilish decrees, biblical blunders, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 carefully selected cartoons about the Trump-Daniels jury selection process
Cartoons Artists take on a stress-free life, rare peers, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Loire Valley Lodges review: sleep, feast and revive in treetop luxury
The Week Recommends Forest hideaway offers chance to relax and reset in Michelin key-winning comfort
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published