I'm young, we have early voting in my state and I've not voted yet.

[Drunken Irishman]

And won't until election day. Can we at least wait and see if the youth turn out before we start questioning them?

Most the people I know are voting on election day and not through early voting.

[EFerrari]

1. In some states, it's a mistake to wait this year, imho.

They're turning out early in NC, I heard this morning on Amy's show.

[tblue]

2. Awesome! Which state?

[betharina]

i agee. i think obama knows what he is doing.

since the text announcement of his vice-presidential pick i have gotten countless texts from the obama campaign. "vote early, here are your polling places, vote early so you can vounteer, etc... i think a whole bunch of young people who live by text will be getting a whole bunch of them this coming week.

[progressivebydesign]

3. Every single interview I've heard on voting said VOTE EARLY. Do not wait!

Why are you waiting?? They encourage everyone to vote early for two reasons.

1) in case there is a problem, you get a few days to clear it up and make sure your vote counts.

2) Election Day will be a madhouse, if you can vote early, vote early.

I just don't understand why you'd wait?

[Drunken Irishman]

4. Because I like to vote on election day.

It's a weird tradition for me. I voted last November, I've checked the rolls and I'm registered and I'm good to go. If need be, I will wait in long lines. :D

[Two Americas]

14. good for you

I like that. Always have long lines where I am, but if others can wait in line so can I. Being there on election day is meaningful. Voting early is often merely about personal convenience.

[beac]

22. No, voting early is NOT just for personal convenience!

Anyone who is able to vote early should do so to shorten the lines on Election Day for those who can't.

Many of us have voted early so that we can work for the campaign on 11/4.

PLEASE people, think of your fellow citizens and vote early to make next Tuesday easier for everyone!

[Two Americas]

23. didn't say it was

I said it often is.

Many are voting early and that is good, as you say, for reasons other than convenience. Not denying that. There are reasons for being there in person as well.

Also, it could be argued that the continual compromise to accommodate a broken system reduces pressure to reform the system.

Also, it could be argued that there is a trend to turn all political thought away from community action and toward individualized "personal choice" and that this should be resisted.

[woolldog]

31. I never thought of it that way....

But I did vote early.

[beac]

19. I like to vote on Election day too, but I voted early this year so that I can drive others to the

polls on November 4th.

PLEASE reconsider, Drunken Irishman.

You have your WHOLE LIFE ahead of you to vote on election day but only this ONE opportunity to elect Barack Obama and help this nation to regain the respect and trust of the world.

Even if you don't do ANYTHING else, you will be shortening the line for another voter who may NOT have time to wait for hours to vote.

PLEASE, PLEASE GO VOTE NOW!


(FYI, you'll probably still get a little "I VOTED" sticker that you can save and wear on election day! :) )

[ieoeja]

20. I'm waiting til Election Day for the exact same reason. And for the shorter lines.

I have never had to wait more than 10 minutes in my life to vote. I haven't heard from anyone in Chicago who voted early wait less than 30 minutes. A really huge percentage of the electorate voted early when the number of polling places are a really small percentage of the total that will be open on Election Day.

On the other hand I have heard there was an 85% increase in Chicago registrations. That would seem impossible. This is a city where they canvass hospitals fercrisakes to register people. I guess that many people really refused to register all these years. And you know what that means?

There will be a lot of pissed off jurors the next few years! As the only reason I have often heard for not registering is to avoid jury duty.

[susanwy]

40. Ummmm

excuse the question, but if your young, just how many elections have you voted in? Is it really enough to make it a "tradition" to vote on election day?

I don't care when you vote, as long as you vote. I was really pissed at 18-24 year olds four years ago, they were too busy to pay attention and vote, they let me down. I have my fingers crossed they won't blow it again.

:patriot:

[bklyngrl60]

5. Absolutely! Try to be patient with us over-40's....

The memories of our disappointment and our now unbearable hope, is probably causing us to overreact a bit.

You're right, my observation is the younger generation are engaged, intelligent, hardworking and able to get the job done. ;) Thanks for reminding me that we have every reason to have faith.

ETA: But have you considered how the long the lines may be on Nov 4th? Like hours and hours of waiting?

[shaniqua6392]

6. There is something that I love about voting in person on election day.

I have voted absentee before, but it just is not the same. I think many people feel the same way. I have a suspicion that the younger voters feel the same way. It just feels better to do it in person. My kids and I make a day out of it and go to vote and then do lunch. It is a tradition!! I know the young people will be out in droves for Obama.

[glowing]

12. Oh me too, I'm 29.. I voted early for the jan. primaries only because I was

there doing some other business.. but I do like going on election day and voting. My son has a dr. apt. that day and after, we will go vote. I'm taking him out of school for the day to have a "family" day. Its important for me to show him what it means to be an American. Also, there are a lot more voting places open for election day... They have sooo few open this time.. it really suggests supression in my opinion.

[fizzgig]

7. there was absolutely no way i was waiting for election day this year

colorado has an obscenely long ballot and i didn't feel like having to pack a lunch to go to the polls on the 4th.

[Yes We Did]

8. I was talking to a friend who went and voted yesterday...

She said the lines were very long, and she had NEVER seen so many young people turn out to vote. She said there were more of them than anyone else in line.

:toast:

[SprintSpeed]

9. I early voted

and I am glad I did because I feel a cold coming on.

[seven7sign]

11. waiting..

i like the atmosphere of election which serves me well because we don't have early voting in my state

[ComtesseDeSpair]

10. Why wait????

Something could go wrong on election day. You could be sick. Your car might not start. You might have an accident. The lines might be 5 hours long and you might not have time to stay that long. The machines might break down. Why tempt fate? Get your vote in now!

[Two Americas]

17. being there

Being there is meaningful for some of us.

[ComtesseDeSpair]

21. I was "there"...

I was just "there" on Tuesday of this week. I stood in line with about a dozen people, and I cast my votes on the same machines I'd use on election day. It felt just as genuine to me as it would next Tuesday, but now I know that my vote is in and I don't have to stress about being able to get away and stand in longer lines.

But the important thing is that you vote, not what day you vote on. =)

[Two Americas]

26. understood

No one is trying to tell you that you should not vote early.

I don't like this trend though and as I stated in a post above:

It could be argued that the continual compromise to accommodate a broken system reduces pressure to reform the system.

It could be argued that there is a trend to turn all political thought away from community action and toward individualized "personal choice" and that this should be resisted.

We should be able to show up on a day that is a national holiday, without any hoops to jump through, as a collective community action and with our family friends and neighbors, and fill out a paper ballot that is hand-counted. The right wingers are desperately trying to change and complicate what was once a very simple and trustworthy process.

I don't want my ballot sitting around for days in who knows whose custody and handled in who knows what way.

My point is that there are legitimate reasons for following the traditional procedure.

[ComtesseDeSpair]

36. I see your point

I'm just paranoid - I wanted to get my vote in early.

[Two Americas]

39. understood

Can't blame you for that.

[Erin Elizabeth]

13. Based on what I saw just at our primary and caucus this year

there was no way I was going to wait until the day of. I voted early.

At least if you do, get in line RIGHT when they open.

[Two Americas]

37. thanks

I see yours as well. Appreciate you taking the time to consider what I was saying.

[Blondiegrrl]

15. That's cool, but I hope you've set aside a HUGE block of time

on Election Day to stand in line.

(Actually, I'm pretty sure YOU will, Irishman, but I'm still skeptical about a lot of the youth vote.)

[Lex]

16. Help keep the waiting time down on Election Day and vote NOW.

Even Obama himself has asked us to do this.

[TheKentuckian]

18. I wish I could vote early

that's time that could be helping others to and/or working the polls

[pnwmom]

24. Obama is asking people who can -- and you can -- to vote early so that

the lines aren't too long on election day, which could prevent some supporters from being able to vote.

Maybe you should reconsider.

[ecstatic]

25. What if something comes up on that day?

Do you really want to push it to the last possible moment? Then the reasoning will be ... it's only one vote... The problem is, MILLIONS of people think the same exact thing and then the wrong side wins. :eyes:

Please go today or tomorrow if you can!

[Two Americas]

27. collective action

Voting is a collective action. There is far too much emphasis on voting as a personal choice and a personal action, as though it were a shopping outing.

[NotThisTime]

29. We voted early, couldn't wait, Husband's been in and out of the hospital unexpectedly for a month...

You NEVER know what might happen on the 4th, he's a healthy guy who just became quite ill, I could just envision him being brought back to the hospital on the 3rd :( No way was I waiting once I got him back out of the hospital - we went straight to early voting!

[mrreowwr_kittty]

28. Activists should vote early if they can.

So you're not tied up trying to vote when you could be helping with GOTV. I really think you should vote early because I know that you've been working hard on the campaign. A young person like you being available on Election Day could possibly traslate into dozens of votes, whereas you spending several hours stuck in line.

Not trying to be a nag but I wanted to point that out.

[BostonTLover]

30. in 2004, I voted on the day of

since it was my first time voting (turned 18 earlier in the year), I wanted to experience what it was like to vote on Election Day. But, in 2006 and this year, I voted early, so I'm done voting now :)

[FloridaGrl]

32. I am young and I voted early because

I believe election day is going to be a huge mess. The reps will try to stop every vote they can and I don't want to be caught up in it. Secondly, you never know what might come up that might hinder you from voting; I am having an exam the day after the election and would not want to be standing in line for hours on Tues when I could be studying.

[demo dutch]

34. I heared college vote in FL has not turned out yet, I hope that they will this weekend

[FloridaGrl]

38. My brother

and most of my friends have already voted. I know a few who will not vote until election day because:
1) Obama's birth certificate gate might be true and he wants to wait and see if Obama will be replaced by Hillary. Yup I did argue with him and tried to set him straight. Furthermore even if he was replaced by Hillary- so what. He's adamant that he saw "evidence" of Obama's Kenya BC on the internet. I haven't spoken to him since. :argh:
2) and most common reason I got is that they don't trust early voting because that's how the Repubs are going to steal the election.

[demo dutch]

33. Fine as long as you drag ALL your Obama friends with you to vote on Tuesday

[kerry-is-my-prez]

35. I'm 50 and it looks like I may have to wait til mon. or election day.

My Dad broke his hip so it's tough to get there early. I was going to vote early today but it was a zoo.

[Vektor]

41. As long as you vote, I'm happy.

:-)

[tkayj]

42. There won't be a second election day to do things differently.

I understand the sentiment, but if we wait to see what happens on election day, we don't get a second election day to get out the youth vote. Also, with as many snafu's as there have been to date, why wait until election day to find out that you've encountered a problem, (with no time to fix it)?