Surging in popularity since the onset of the new millennium, early voting has grown to be accepted and revered across many states. The majority of adult citizens now thankfully reside in locales that permit casting votes prior to Election Day. This marks a dramatic shift from the scenario of the 2000 general election when a less welcoming 24 states offered the early voting privilege. In the wave of increased participation, we’ve witnessed this year alone a barrage of 14 bills signed into law across 11 states, aimed at fostering ease in voting access.
As per the Center for Election Innovation and Research, the likelihood of adults living in a state that permits voting prior to Election Day has been on the rise since 2000. Broad voting laws designed to amplify vote casting through absentee ballots and mail-in methods have been enthusiastically adopted. Throughout the grim times of the COVID-19 pandemic, a whopping 100 million Americans exercised their right to vote early during the 2020 presidential elections, a fact noted by the Washington Post.
Early voting serves as a boon for citizens with immunocompromised health, those challenged in transportation arrangements, or individuals unable to commit to physical in-person voting on Election Day itself. Irrespective of the specific reasons behind the choice to vote early, this strategy extends greater flexibility to voters and positively impacts voter turnout, as experts commend.
Today, the majority of states extend either pertinent form of early voting. As of the promising year of 2024, about 46 states along with Washington, D.C. offer early in-person voting, according to a report by the Center for Election Innovation and Research. Among these voting jurisdictions, a substantial 37 of them lend voters the convenience to mail in their ballots without demanding a justifying reason.
The democracy-enabling Washington, D.C. along with the 46 states championing early in-person voting account for almost 97% of the eligible voting population in the United States. This was derived from data by the U.S. Census Bureau. Intriguingly, the 14 states that strangely still do not facilitate mail-in voting for all citizens are mainly dominated by Republican-led legislatures, as pointed out by NPR.
The trend of voting early, be it via mail or in person, has seen a steady escalation since the year 2000. Findings by the U.S. Census Bureau draw out the fact that the proportion of early voters has blossomed, with mailed ballots increasing from 10.2% to a more impressive 31.8% between 2000 and 2022.
With the dark clouds of the COVID-19 pandemic shrouding the globe, early voting experienced a surge. An astounding 69% of proud citizens cast their ballot before Election Day. As of 2022, at least half of the voting populace chose to make their voices heard before Election Day.
New laws effecting changes in voting rights – some advocating for wider access and others inexplicably seeking to limit it – have been implemented in crucial battleground states around the nation. Rather regrettably, ten states have enacted legislation that shortened the window to apply for absentee, or mail-in, ballots since the 2020 presidential election, introducing a redundant administrative hurdle for voters.
Another puzzling development was observed across eight states where the availability of ballot drop boxes has been curtailed. These fateful jurisdictions include the influential swing states of Georgia and North Carolina and competitive territories such as Iowa, Ohio, and Florida.
However, the winds of change continue to blow. In the hopeful dawn of the new year, an impressive count of at least 11 states have championed 14 laws to broaden voting access. Progressive states like Virginia, Washington, and Oregon led the charge, each passing two trailblazing laws to further reinforce the roots of democratic participation in their soils.
Early Voting Surge: A Democratic Tactic to Skew the Election? appeared first on Real News Now.
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