We may have to change the name of the fall ritual in democratic participation from “Election Day” to “Election Weeks.” And that would be a very fine thing.
This year, Massachusetts began offering citizens the chance to vote more than two weeks ahead of the traditional Election Day, which falls on Nov. 8 this year. Our state joins more than 30 others that already offer voters this option. It’s a welcome development that can ease crowds and increase voter participation.
Still, early voting isn’t for everyone — certainly not those who remain undecided. But in this presidential election year, given sharp differences between the two major-party candidates, plenty of voters know their hearts. As of Friday, 4 million Americans had voted early, or about 3.1 percent of the number who voted in 2012.
And on Monday, hundreds of Hampshire County residents took advantage of the first day for early voting in Massachusetts. In Northampton, 213 ballots had been cast by 3 p.m. Monday — already 1 percent of the city’s 21,223 registered voters.
The most stalwart supporters of Republican candidate Donald J. Trump and of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton were expected to lead the packs of voters exercising this new option, which runs through Nov. 4 in Massachusetts. The secretary of state’s website provides information on locations and times for all communities.
Area city and town clerks are expecting record turnout thanks to the extended voting hours. Increased use of absentee ballots, the existing option for voters physically unable to get to the polls on Election Day, suggests that turnout for the 2016 could set records, election watchers say.
The shift comes with new costs, since election officials in Valley communities will need to staff extra voting sessions. Many communities are receiving modest grants from the state to offset some of that added expense. In interviews with the Gazette, city and town clerks seemed to be taking the new mandate in stride.
As they should. Early voting, approved by lawmakers in 2014 and signed by then-Gov. Deval Patrick, brings clear advantages in convenience and timely access to the polls. Senate President Stanley Rosenberg put it well when he noted that voters in Massachusetts this year have 12 days, not 12 hours, to weigh in (actually, it’s 13 hours on Nov. 8). Nationally, the time frame for early voting runs from four to 50 days.
While the change may seem dramatic here in Massachusetts, states have been breaking with the one-day vote for years. Oregon, Washington and Colorado citizens vote primarily by mail. In Florida, a key swing state, one-third of voters will cast ballots by mail this year, one-third through early voting and one-third by showing up Nov. 8.
The arguments we’ve heard against early voting are thin. One holds that voters should not be allowed to cast ballots until Election Day because the evidence from the campaign trail isn’t all in. One writer likened it to a juror standing up with a verdict before testimony concludes.
While the 2016 presidential campaign may seem like a trial, citizens get to decide when they’ve heard closing arguments. And many have. But they should keep in mind that once an early ballot is cast, that’s it. Voters cannot change their minds.
A recent report in the Washington Post noted that as of this point, Clinton has more “banked” votes through the early process than President Obama did when he ran for re-election in 2012.
Another argument against early voting is that by extending the process, the casting of ballots doesn’t get the same rigorous oversight by election officials and is thus more susceptible to fraud. It’s up to those who run our elections to hold to the same standards they’ve always used.
A writer in the conservative National Journal rued that early voting takes away from the sense of togetherness evoked by a single Election Day.
Too often, that togetherness has been defined by long lines of people on their way home from work struggling to get their votes cast, on empty stomachs, in the waning hours of Election Day.
As long as the process has integrity, voting itself is just the means. What we should celebrate is our ability, in a divided nation, to make that critical choice as one.