We all knew absentee voting would spike last year because of the pandemic, but now @baseballot has gathered the data to show just *how much* the way people voted changed in 2020.
Something I’ve believed for a long-long time, but seemingly on steroids these past THREE cycles;
Election Day is the first day absentee ballots can be “received” and the first day(s) voters can vote “in person”… absentee… or described as “voting early”.
If your election calendar doesn’t work backwards from those dates, not the traditional “election day”, you are 174% doing campaigns and campaigning wrong.
One of my great frustrations with local candidates has been how many of them let a couple weeks of early voting go by before they start serious campaigning.
Election day is really a season.
- Nearly Normal - Wednesday, Feb 10, 21 @ 12:36 pm:
Yes, you do not need an excuse to request a vote by mail (absentee) ballot. You do need to follow your voting jurisdiction’s procedure to ask for one. I serve as an election judge and processed vote by mail ballots for the November election.
Early voting has had a definite negative impact upon candidates involved in ballot access litigation. A candidate seeking judicial review of an electoral board decision can win an appeal and be out of luck in terms of being restored to the ballot.
Another factor is computerized voting. It requires significant time for voting machines to be reprogrammed. Say what you will about punch cards and hanging chads, but replacing ballot book pages was much simpler back then.
The greatest gift ever to political vendors - early voting.
Paid media has to start way earlier now and the vendors get richer. Mail starts in June and July not after Labor Day. TV starts before Labor Day not October. Big money
- NIU Grad - Wednesday, Feb 10, 21 @ 11:48 am:
More people voting and voting easily…the GOP is going to do everything in their power to fight this nationally.
- Will Caskey - Wednesday, Feb 10, 21 @ 11:53 am:
I’ll never say no to hiring researchers earlier
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Feb 10, 21 @ 11:57 am:
Something I’ve believed for a long-long time, but seemingly on steroids these past THREE cycles;
Election Day is the first day absentee ballots can be “received” and the first day(s) voters can vote “in person”… absentee… or described as “voting early”.
If your election calendar doesn’t work backwards from those dates, not the traditional “election day”, you are 174% doing campaigns and campaigning wrong.
This is “example 3,255”
- Mama - Wednesday, Feb 10, 21 @ 11:59 am:
Is it the law in IL that anyone who wants to vote by mail, can vote by mail without being absent on election day? If not - the law needs to change.
- Fav human - Wednesday, Feb 10, 21 @ 12:01 pm:
One of my great frustrations with local candidates has been how many of them let a couple weeks of early voting go by before they start serious campaigning.
Election day is really a season.
- Nearly Normal - Wednesday, Feb 10, 21 @ 12:36 pm:
Yes, you do not need an excuse to request a vote by mail (absentee) ballot. You do need to follow your voting jurisdiction’s procedure to ask for one. I serve as an election judge and processed vote by mail ballots for the November election.
- Ground Day - Wednesday, Feb 10, 21 @ 2:12 pm:
The new normal. Solves all the issues with having election day in the middle of a work week
- Practical Politics - Wednesday, Feb 10, 21 @ 3:06 pm:
Early voting has had a definite negative impact upon candidates involved in ballot access litigation. A candidate seeking judicial review of an electoral board decision can win an appeal and be out of luck in terms of being restored to the ballot.
Another factor is computerized voting. It requires significant time for voting machines to be reprogrammed. Say what you will about punch cards and hanging chads, but replacing ballot book pages was much simpler back then.
- Frank talks - Wednesday, Feb 10, 21 @ 5:59 pm:
The greatest gift ever to political vendors - early voting.
Paid media has to start way earlier now and the vendors get richer. Mail starts in June and July not after Labor Day. TV starts before Labor Day not October. Big money
- Chicagonk - Thursday, Feb 11, 21 @ 1:28 pm:
I think it’s great that we have made it easy to vote in this state. Now we need to extend that ease to getting on the ballot.