I completely disagree: I think that voting, in person, surrounded by other members of the community, is an important part of our civil religion. Election Day should be a true holiday, dedicated to patriotic and civic commemorations.
In particular, I think that early voting leaves voters liable to act on less information than is necessary. Obviously there must be a cutoff — if a candidate goes insane the day after the election, it's too late — but I think it's preferable for all voters to be acting on the same available information.
Obviously some folks need to be away from home on Election Day, but I think that the vast majority of us should be voting together, with our communities.
I fear that the trend towards early voting will lead to increased partisanship, and that the way we've been running our elections and districting for the past century or so has led to a decreased sense of community and patriotism.
In particular, I think that early voting leaves voters liable to act on less information than is necessary. Obviously there must be a cutoff — if a candidate goes insane the day after the election, it's too late — but I think it's preferable for all voters to be acting on the same available information.
Obviously some folks need to be away from home on Election Day, but I think that the vast majority of us should be voting together, with our communities.
I fear that the trend towards early voting will lead to increased partisanship, and that the way we've been running our elections and districting for the past century or so has led to a decreased sense of community and patriotism.