As the old saying goes, “the early bird gets the worm.” In our case, the early voter gets to cast their vote ahead of time in order to avoid all the stresses and pressures that may arise on the actual election day. Don’t really know what early voting is, or don’t know what’s the difference between that and just voting on election day? Well, allow us to give you some insight into how early voting works along with some reasons as to why you should vote early.
THE PROCESS
In a nutshell, early voting is just like regular voting. What makes it such a great asset to the electoral process is it helps promote more participation from citizens to engage in voting. Through early voting, voters are able to vote in designated areas that may vary across your county in which you are registered. Some of these voting stations can range from local district offices to churches and even grocery stores! Voting early can also very helpful for those who may not be able to be present in their county on the actual election day for whatever reason. If you are also a citizen who is disabled or sick, you also have the option to vote early by mail. For more info on voting early by mail, click here.
For this upcoming election in May, early voting will begin on the 12thday before elections and will end on the 4thday before election day. For this 2019 season, early voting begins on April 22nd.
Now that we’ve got you informed on the way early voting works, let’s talk about three reasons WHY you should vote early:
1.) AVOID THE LONG LINES… MOSTLY
Don’t you just love going to an amusement park only to get in line for a ride that’s a few minutes long, but the line wait is well over a few hours? Well, if you said yes to that statement, then we kindly give you a big kudos on having a lot of patience! However, if you’re like most of us, waiting in line for just about anything can be a daunting task within itself. That’s why we encourage you all to get out and vote early simply for the reason of avoiding those hectic crowds and crazy rushes that tends to be common on election day! Trust us, you’ll feel less anxious about only having to stand in line for an hour versus three hours, and definitely, feel a lot better than you got it doesn’t sooner than later. Although the line may still take up about an hour of your day, it’s better than the line taking up a fourth of your day as it can on election day. Take a friend with you to the polls, or maybe even turn it into a date for you and that special someone!
2.) YOUR CAMPAIGN WILL STOP TEXTING AND CALLING YOU ALL THE TIME.
Once you cast that early vote, like magic, all those texts, calls, and emails that flooded your inboxes will stop and you can rest easier knowing your phone isn’t blowing up constantly throughout the day to vote! It’s just another thing that can be checked off of your list and give you and your phone some ease! You’ll be helping your campaign by being another voter who showed up and made their voice heard, which is what matters at the end of the day. Good for you!
3.) YOU’LL FEEL GOOD YOU VOTED EARLY
With voting early, you’ll be walking into the polls with less intimidation and anxiousness that usually comes with election day as different parties from all sides can be riled up and potentially make the experience less enjoyable for young voters. Regardless of your party or affiliation, your voice matters. The reason we recommend voting early is that you will feel more at ease once you have done your civic duty as a registered voter and feel confident that you made your decision ahead of time. As a young or first-time voter, you want your experience to be as calming as possible, that way you can submit your ballot in peace and confidence!
Early voting is this beautiful process many states implement in order for voters to cast their votes more easily. Either way, whether it’s election day or not, you’re still voting, just… early! So get out there and knock ’em dead!