NC Penguin

If you are an American and eligible to vote early/absentee in your state, have you done so yet?

I voted last Tuesday, October 21st. It was simple except there were so many state and local elections on top of the Presidential elections. I was the 4801st voter at my polling station, the fifth day of early voting in North Carolina.

DollyLlama

I'm going this afternoon..

Noorah101

I did mine by mail yesterday.

Rene

limeynus

I mailed mine today!

TruBrit

my National Mail Voter Registration Form arrived today...

Rete

Not voting this year, at least for a presidental candidate. Will go to vote for local elections. I don't know if NYS has early voting for anything other than absentee balloting. Why is that none of you are able to go to the polls on election day itself?

Bluegrass Lass

AFAIK, it's the same in KY. You can only vote early if it's by absentee ballot. Of course, I wouldn't mind the option of voting early because then I wouldn't worry about missing any work to try to vote (considering I don't know if we'll have to wait in lines).

I'm sorta jealous of those that can - it seems so much easier.

DollyLlama

I could go on election day.
Early voting is available in my State so I thought I would do it early.

Redwing

I vote early, because on election day, you have to wait a long time. I walked in to the election office at 3.30 on the first day of early voting, and there was no queue.

Noorah101

Same here, and didn't have to miss any work since I could mail it in.

penguinsix

My wife is voting for the first time (now that she is a USC) so we're going down to the elementary school and casting ballots the old fashion way, just to give her the 'full experience'.

DollyLlama

They had the ballots here, so i got the 'full experience' today...
In my little cubicle thing, all done on the computer screen.
Woman next to me asking 'where is the slot to put my card in?'

Rete

Great for you guys. I don't have to miss work since my polls are open from 6 am until 9 pm and I have more than ample time to go and cast my ballot.

Just wondering if early votes are lost in the shuffle or are counted last? I know that absentee ballots are counted last over here. Wonder if it is the same all over the US?

Our polling place is well equipped with a large number of machines and they are divided by the number of constitutents in each district (district being the street area marked out by the county). Each district is setup in the school's basement and marked by a table with volunteer workers who check your id and then find your name in the book and have you sign before issuing you a number to be programed into the machine before you vote. The last time I voted last year I counted 20 machines so rarely is there more than a 2 or 3 minute wait for a voting machine.

Noorah101

I only vote in the presidential elections, not the local ones. Four years ago I went to the local polling place in person. I left early for work and did it on my way in. I don't think it took very long, but it was just kind of a hassle to find the place, park, go in, wait in line, sign something, go vote...maybe I'm just lazy, but I thought if it's available early by mail, why not take advantage of it.

Rene

Pharrya

I voted by absentee ballot - we don't have early voting.

Absentee ballots are counted here 2 days after the election - and then a second round is done about 10 days later. It's because an absentee ballot is valid if the postmark shows election day or before, and you have to give it a few days for the mail to come....