If you are reading this site, you are going to vote. No one here has to tell you to be involved. But, you might be like me, with the ballot sitting on my kitchen counter, waiting for my procrastinating ass to get to it “eventually.” I have time! Why rush?
Well, I’m done procrastinating, and if you haven’t voted yet (and can), you shouldn’t either. Why? Because a vote today is more valuable to Democrats than a vote on Election Day.
How can that be, you wonder. A vote is a vote, right? Nope!
1) You vote now, and that vote will count. If something happens to you, like you fall ill, or a family emergency takes you out of town, it doesn’t affect your electoral voice.
2) You vote now, and GOTV efforts can be directed at people who actually do need to be persuaded to vote. Do you want that volunteer knocking on your door or calling you, or do you want that time spent more efficiently on genuinely iffy voters?
3) You vote now, and you shrink the voter lines on Election Day, making it easier for others to vote and cutting down on voter disenfranchisement.
4) You vote now, and all those GOTV efforts will finally stop bothering your ass and you can get some peace and quiet.
5) You vote now, and you can work on getting your friends, family, and co-workers to also vote early. In other words, you get to do your own GOTV. And you are at your most persuasive when you are working within your social circle.
6) You vote now, and you can help drive the media narrative of collapsing Trump support (in states where we lead), while reversing negative trends in states where we don’t lead (like Iowa and Ohio).
Voting early is an unmitigated victory. You get to lock in your vote at your best convenience, you get to improve the efficiency of our GOTV efforts, and you get to make it easier for others to vote. So stop procrastinating, like I am today, and vote!
Here’s a list of when early voting starts, by state: