Missourians deserve benefits of early voting
One week ago, people queued up in lines a block or more long as the sun rose over Kansas City and its Missouri suburbs. Got to vote before the work day begins. In rural parts of Missouri, folks were up even earlier. Sometimes voting can involve a long drive.
Many of those voters undoubtedly would have preferred going to the polls on a more convenient day or evening. But unlike the District of Columbia and 32 other states, including Kansas, Missouri doesn’t have the option of early voting. residents can’t even vote absentee without offering an explanation to elections officials.
That has to change. Missourians are busy people. They deserve the convenience of early voting.
It promotes fair and vigorous elections, encourages people to vote and provides time to deal with glitches such as confusion about addresses.
It also can save money. Over in Kansas, advance voting in Johnson County is partly responsible for a 20 percent reduction in polling places in recent years.
Early voting has been talked about in Missouri for years. The last two governors, Democrat Jay Nixon and Republican Matt Blunt, favored it. Secretary of State Robin Carnahan has promoted it and Jason Kander, who was elected Tuesday to succeed Carnahan, also is an advocate for advance voting.
Nearly every year a bill to establish early voting is introduced in the Missouri legislature. Yet elections come and go with no choice for voters but to carve out time on the designated day. The reasons, no surprise, have to do with politics and gridlock within the Missouri legislature.
Republicans see early voting as a hostage card they can use to muster support for a photo ID law. They won’t do one without the other. It’s not an even trade, however. Advance voting is an important convenience, while photo ID requirements are deliberate attempts at suppressing votes under the guise of protecting against non-existent voter fraud. Democrats are wise to keep pushing for early voting as a stand-alone reform.
A good first step would be to at least allow absentee voting without an excuse. That would expand voters’ options and move toward a system that treats Missouri voters as the adults they are.
Soon, though, Missouri must create a well-advertised early voting system. It will be good for voters and good for democracy.
Brenda Johnson
7 months, 1 week agoI support early voting. Many people can not stand in long lines and they should be allowed to vote at at time when there are no lines. Others struggle to get their kids to or from school. Some states mail ballots and they seem to do just fine.I think national elections should be done by the Federal Govenrment. What happened this year was shameful.
George Hunsucker
Northland
7 months, 1 week agoSo true Brenda… Philadelphia should be ashamed, but will not be….
Mark Hastert
7 months agoI think of older folks having to stand in long lines in inclement weather and wonder why not have voting spread out over several days? Why not spread it out over a weekend? To the Republicans who want to shorten voting periods to suppress turnout I’d say that the older people you’re discouraging are more likely than not your voters. The rich are already trying to shout our voices down with unlimited $$. Our vote is our only defense.
Johnathon Busby
7 months agoAnything that makes voting easier and more accessible for citizens has to be a positive step.
William R. Nelson
7 months ago‘Early voting’ does have its benefits, yet ‘early’ presupposes a frame of reference - namely a specified election ‘day.’
I think 30 states already have enacted early voting, which is actually a 4-6 week voting season. These states also maintain an election ‘day.’ But why? If citizens can conveniently cast their ballot anytime during a 4-6 week voting season, what is the point to funding and manning the polls on election ‘day?’
Mike DeArmond
7 months agoIf you cannot take time to get a photo ID what are the odds you will take time to vote anyway?