The Patriot Post® · The Perils of Early Voting

Jeff Jacoby: “[E]arly-voting laws actually decrease turnout. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, in a study published in the American Journal of Political Science, have shown that early voting ‘lower[s] the likelihood of turnout by three to four percentage points.’ Why? Because by dragging out for weeks what had been the concentrated, communal experience of a single decision day, early-voting laws wind up ‘dissipating the energy of Election Day’ and ‘reducing the civic significance of elections for individuals.’ The Tuesday after the first Monday in November used to be a climactic moment when the nation turned out to choose its leaders. Now it’s merely when the voting stops. A second tradeoff, even more unfortunate, is the loss of informational equality. In some states, the early-voting window opens more than six weeks before Election Day – a month and a half! Think of what can happen in the last 45 days of a campaign: a high-stakes debate, an outrageous gaffe, an international crisis, a late-in-the-game promise, a surge of momentum, a demoralizing admission, a spectacular endorsement. … Elections are more meaningful when voters act collectively, coming together at one time to make their political choices. We may disagree sharply over whom ultimately to choose, but the choosing should be done when the campaign ends – on a clearly defined Election Day, not a long-drawn-out election season.”