The "ground game" and early voting
The NYTimes has an article about early voting and the new challenges it creates for campaigns, but I want to add a little bit.
It's my opinion that early voting is going to tend to favor the side with the better ground game (Obama,) and will likely benefit the side relying more on new and irregular voters (Obama) as you have more time to contact them and more chances to actually get them out to vote.
The estimates are that approximately 1/3 of all votes this year will be cast before election day.
(But not me. I like to take the three block walk to my polling place, to talk to the campaign people 50 feet outside, to stand in line amongst amongst my neighbors surrounded by the bunting, to deliver my plate of rice crispy treats to the never appreciated enough poll workers, and then to walk away. It's a ceremony and a ritual that I enjoy like few others.)
It's my opinion that early voting is going to tend to favor the side with the better ground game (Obama,) and will likely benefit the side relying more on new and irregular voters (Obama) as you have more time to contact them and more chances to actually get them out to vote.
The estimates are that approximately 1/3 of all votes this year will be cast before election day.
(But not me. I like to take the three block walk to my polling place, to talk to the campaign people 50 feet outside, to stand in line amongst amongst my neighbors surrounded by the bunting, to deliver my plate of rice crispy treats to the never appreciated enough poll workers, and then to walk away. It's a ceremony and a ritual that I enjoy like few others.)
posted by mikevotes at
9:11 PM
4 Comments:
I agree with that sentiment. It's what I miss the most about Oregon's (quite successful) switch to vote-by-mail.
Arguably, the stamp works out to a 42-cent poll tax, but I can't really quibble with the results - a noticeably better turnout, and consequently a better read on the popular will.
I really used to enjoy the participation -- standing in line, the silly little booths draped with a flag, the local senior citizens working the book... all that stuff.
By
r8r, at 9:46 PM
I really, really do like that. It somewhat symbolizes the ideals of what I believe about democracy.
I live in a small little enclave of about 7,000 inside Houston, and that's one of the small town moments afforded me.
(Although I gotta say, the electronic voting machines have taken a little of the mojo out of it.)
By
mikevotes, at 10:25 PM
I have always felt like you, MikeVotes, about voting. I always was happy going to the poll and took my children with me for the experience. However, I finally filed to be a permanent absentee after the registrar moved my polling place every election for about the last six and I had to mapquest to find the last one. We went from church to school to temple to home and there was no apparent reason for all the changes.
Just one more thing to be nostalgic about, I guess.
By
Anonymous, at 6:33 PM
Part of it is that it's in our little community center, same place, same walk, same people...
By
mikevotes, at 8:50 PM
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