47 Comments

My husband and I took our 15 year-old daughter to vote early on Saturday in Ohio, because no matter what, it’s a historical election. I want her to remember the day her parents voted for the first woman president🤞in a state where we feel very much in the minority. As a stay-at-home mom in the 2000s, I was drawn to Jamie’s reporting on Neil Boortz’s show, and gradually became disenchanted with conservative talk radio. Not Jamie, though! Thanks for your reporting, Mr. Dupree!

Expand full comment

My wife and I both voted in person the second week of early voting.

Primary motivations were avoiding the crowds on election day (and the first week of early voting!), but also not wanting to vote by mail. Between issues with USPS and the potential for challenges to mail-in ballots, that really doesn't seem like the best choice for folks that are able to vote early in person.

Expand full comment

I completely agree. If possible, you should avoid mail-in voting, especially in the key swing states. Places like Florida have a system which works very well, because they are allowed to process those votes well before Election Day. Republicans intentionally refused to allow such changes in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, so there will be delays there in the counting of the votes (again).

Expand full comment

I have known people who were unable to vote because a last-minute family emergency or work obligation meant they were out of town on Election Day. Always better to vote early. And if you can vote early in person, that’s worth doing.

Expand full comment

When Trump separated children from parents I vowed to never vote for such a heartless man.

Expand full comment

I’m in Tennessee and I voted early. I had a free day on Friday (work schedule) so voting was one of my errands for the day.

There was a long line, but it was moving at a good pace.

One thing I liked was when someone checked in and was a first time voter the poll worker would shout “we have first time voter!” And applaud or shout yeah!

It’s still nice to see those little moments.

Expand full comment

Voted early because I am a poll worker and it makes Election Day easier if I don’t have to go vote in the middle of my 17 hour work day.

Speaker Johnson’s “Red Wave” promise is just bonkers. Doesn’t comport with reality or the GOP’s inability to pass any legislation. They may retain the house and get the Senate but unless the abolish the filibuster they still will be unable to pass almost anything.

Expand full comment

I voted on the first day of early voting in Georgia. I wanted to be sure my vote was in. I am heartened to see such a huge turnout across the country. That bodes well for my side.

Expand full comment

I got our and voted last week. This time of year my job is crazy and unpredictable and I do not want to be standing in a long line come Tuesday. Early voting is one of the best ideas for actually helping people 😁

Expand full comment

Noah Smith added this to his post this morning:

"Note: All posts in the final week before the election will be unpaywalled. Paywalled posts will return after November 5th. Comments will still be subscribers-only, due to the high volume of spambots."

The man is an economist so his stuff can be pretty dry, but his reasoning is solid and persuasive.

This morning's post is loaded with plenty of solid evidence. Do check it out.

https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/democrats-fixed-many-of-the-problems

Expand full comment

I've been tracking the early vote in Iowa since 2012. As of Thursday morning, Democrats had banked nearly 12,000 more votes in IA-01 than Republicans. Democrats had banked a little more than 9,000 more votes in IA-03 than Republicans.

That's smaller than the early vote leads Democrats had going into the 2018 election, when Cindy Axne and Abby Finkenauer each defeated a U.S. House Republican.

On the other hand, Iowa Republicans have been encouraging early voting more this year, so maybe they won't have as big a lead among the Election Day voters.

A strange conventional wisdom is developing here, that Bohannan has a better shot in IA-01 than Baccam in IA-03. I say strange because Trump will almost certainly do better in the first district. On the other hand, Miller-Meeks is pretty unpopular.

I won't be surprised by any outcome in these races: two Republican holds, Republicans lose one, or Republicans lose both.

Expand full comment

This is my partner’s first presidential election as a US citizen so we voted on the first day of early voting in Georgia. For months on long car trips, we would run down the questions on the citizenship test together. I’d wager some U.S. Senators and House reps would flunk certain questions. The thought occurred to me that each U.S. voter/elected official pass the same test before being granted the right to vote or run for office.

Expand full comment

Knowledge tests for voters were used and banned long ago. While the intent is good, the winner in the elections will be whoever writes the test.

Expand full comment

I'm aware that both literacy tests and poll taxes were outlawed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. And we both know which Americans those were devised for, in an attempt to keep them from voting.

Your comment also underscored one of the most consistent complaints about our US educational system. How Americans perform on tests is still largely dependent on your zip code, economics and the folks who came up with and who are administering said test.

I was just musing for a moment about how beneficial it would be to society to have, for example, a senator representing Alabama, be able to identify the three branches government prior to representing an entire state.

Expand full comment

Oh, no. I totally get it. I should have been more clear on wishing everyone who votes and runs for office knew how things are supposed to work. Many of the current crop of Republican legislators are belligerent with their lack of knowledge on how the federal system should work. For years legislators from both parties have willingly passed their authority to the Executive Branch. You’re absolutely right on the appalling state of civics education in the U.S. School House Rock was fantastic for kids of my generation. We also went over government in class. It’s sad that so many ignore the things we were taught.

Expand full comment

If it is a right to vote then you can't make qualifications on it. If it is a privilege then you can make qualifications.

Expand full comment

Yup. Kinda like the right to bear arms versus the privilege of driving a motor vehicle. Only one requires that you successfully pass a test before operating it.

Expand full comment

You might want to do a bit of research about that. I'm just a layman but I know how to do a web search.

Here are a couple of responses I received with "Is the second amendment about a right or a privilege?"

~> Second Amendment Does Not Guarantee the Right To Own a Gun (From Gun Control, P 99-102, 1992, Charles P Cozic, ed. -- See NCJ-160164)https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/second-amendment-does-not-guarantee-right-own-gun-gun-control-p-99

~> Gun Ownership: Right or Privilege? Legal experts trace the boundaries of the Second Amendment.

https://lawmagazine.bc.edu/2019/03/gun-ownership-right-or-privilege/

Expand full comment

Trust in the system is low these days. I voted early to ensure there was time to fix any unforeseen "issues" that would prevent my vote from being counted.

Expand full comment

My husband and I voted early last week. I have voted early since GW Bush won the Florida debacle. Thanks for pointing out the Puerto Rico status issue.

Expand full comment

I extended my vacation to vote on the first day. Turned out I hadn't needed to. It took me 22 minutes from getting in line to walking back out of the building. Coweta county seems to have their stuff together when it comes to elections.

Expand full comment

Yes, voted early. Several people had told me they spent 20 minutes or less to vote. I went by a polling location. 6 people in line. Parked car. Got to line. Down to 1 person. Voted early because basicly no waiting. I voted early in 2012. Line was 200 yards long. Got inside. Ask why it was moving so slow. People came to vote for president. Didn't know there were other choices to be made. And had no idea how they were voting.

Expand full comment

One thing Georgia does well is helping people prepare to vote. They post a copy of the ballot so people can review and research the questions. Of course, people need to actually check the ballot before.

Expand full comment

You’ve mentioned this before, but I still don’t understand why there are any bills the House approved without sending over to the Senate. I have never seen that in the Iowa legislature.

Expand full comment

We Voted during the 1st week

I am involved with the Harris Campaign so we insured our votes

PS. Tyler Harper the Georgia Ag Commissioner, estimated the crop losses in Georgia from Helene at $6.5 billion

Mainly Cotten & peanuts which were ready for harvest

Expand full comment