Locking Up Votes Long Before Election Day

By tradition, Americans choose presidents on the first Tuesday in November—the 6th, this year. In reality, voting in Iowa begins on September 27. Five days later, Ohioans start casting ballots. At that point, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney won’t even have had their first debate.

More than two-thirds of Americans live in states or localities that permit early voting. In 2008, about 30 percent of the 131 million ballots cast nationwide were early or absentee. That percentage, up from single digits in the early 1990s, is expected to increase this year in the 32 states where early voting is allowed. The case for an extended polling period instead of a single Election Day is easy enough to make: Early voters don’t have to fret about weather, long lines, or balky polling equipment, and a sick kid or unexpected work trip won’t prevent them from casting a ballot.