It’s that time of year again! If you are in a state that does early voting like Nevada, get moving! If you are in a state where you must vote on Election Day, make a plan! Just for fun, here’s some actual data on American voters.
This time of year also brings out some perennial ideas about how and when we should vote. Let’s look at a few of them:
Election Day as a National Holiday. Sounds like a great idea, everybody has the day off, everybody can get their butts to the polling place. Clearly this idea was hatched and is supported by people in nice little Monday through Friday jobs who never worked someplace that was open Christmas. This will not help people who work at airports, railroads, hotels, restaurants, firehouses, or hospitals. That includes the 4.2 million Registered Nurses nationwide, a highly educated and largely female block of voters who often work twelve hour shifts. If I were conspiracy minded (I like to think I’m not), I’d suspect this idea is meant to disenfranchise all those people whose jobs can’t shut down for Christmas and Election Day.
Online Voting. I know, you’d think that in a world where I can pay my bills, order almost any legal product online, have news of the world at my fingertips, hold a videoconference with colleagues in other time zones, and make friends on almost any continent, voting online should be a no-brainer. Still, many consider it a “huge risk” with “security concerns.” Really no idea why it’s ok for me to spend thousands of dollars online but not okay to cast one vote. That’s above my pay grade.
Voter ID. Many people think you should have to show valid identification to vote. I’ll support that on two conditions: the state must issue an appropriate ID completely free of charge; the agency issuing those IDs must be open from early morning until 10 at night, at least 6 days a week and preferably seven, with sufficient staffing at all times to handle all applicants in a prompt manner. That way people who work long hours and people with very tight budgets can get their ID. Otherwise, it sure looks like an attempt to make sure only the “right people” can vote.
Early Voting. For the record, we do this in Nevada and I freaking love it. There’s polling places all over town in convenient places like shopping malls and supermarkets, computer linked to prevent voting in more than one location. It helps people with hectic schedules and/or medical needs. Because there’s many locations and the voting load is spread out, there’s rarely a big line to go vote — handy for both convenience and limiting the spread of things like influenza (yes, it’s flu season). Only someone who “wants to control who is able to vote” would possibly be against it.
Vote By Mail and/or Absentee Ballots. Yes, vote by mail has always been a thing for people who physically can’t get to the polling place, either because they are hospitalized, or because they are deployed in our military. Saying no to vote by mail is saying you don’t want our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen voting. Go on, say it, I dare you. Yes, there are potential security concerns. That doesn’t change the necessity. During the pandemic, Nevada also made it possible for every registered voter to vote by mail. As an added benefit, voters are able to research their candidates and ballot questions well before voting.
