Early Voting vs Election Day Voting: Differences Pros and Cons

As political candidates, understanding the mechanics of voting is as important as campaigning. One fundamental aspect is understanding the difference between early voting and Election Day voting. Both methods play crucial roles in shaping the election landscape. However, they come with their unique attributes, benefits, and challenges. This article aims to shed light on these two different but equally essential components of the electoral process.

What is Early Voting and What is Election Day Voting?

In every democracy, voting is the fundamental process through which citizens express their choice for political candidates and policies. There are different ways citizens can cast their votes, with two common methods being early voting and election day voting.

Early voting, also known as advance voting, is a process by which voters in a public election can cast their votes prior to the scheduled election day. Early voting can take place remotely, such as via mail, or in person at designated voting centers. The primary purpose of early voting is to increase participation and ease congestion at voting centers on election day.

Election day voting, on the other hand, occurs on a specific day when voters go to their designated polling stations to cast their votes. This is the traditional form of voting that most people are familiar with. It’s a significant event often marked by media coverage, exit polls, and high public interest.

Key Differences Between Early Voting and Election Day Voting

1. Timing of the vote: Early voting allows you to cast your vote well in advance of the actual election day. This is different from election day voting, where you can only vote on the specific day designated for the election.
2. Convenience and Flexibility: Early voting provides more flexibility as voters can often choose when and where to vote, reducing potential time pressures or conflicts on election day.
3. Potential for Change: If a voter casts an early vote and later changes their mind, it’s usually not possible to recast the vote. On election day, voters have had the maximum amount of time to consider their decision.
4. Information Availability: Early voters make their decisions with less information than those who vote on election day, as campaigns, debates, and potential news events continue to unfold in the intervening period.
5. Atmosphere: The experience of voting on election day, with fellow citizens lining up to participate in the democratic process, can be quite different from the often quieter experience of early voting.
6. Impact on Results: Early votes are often counted and reported first on election night, which can influence public perception and the media narrative, even though they don’t necessarily predict the final result.

Key Similarities Between Early Voting and Election Day Voting

1. Purpose: The purpose of both early voting and election day voting is the same – to allow citizens to exercise their democratic right and voice their political choices.
2. Security and Integrity: Both methods are designed to ensure the security and integrity of the election process. Measures are in place to prevent fraud and ensure each citizen votes only once.
3. Confidentiality: Whether a vote is cast early or on election day, the secrecy of the ballot is maintained. Nobody has the right to know who you voted for unless you choose to tell them.
4. Vote Count: Regardless of when a vote is cast, it carries the same weight. An early vote is not worth more or less than a vote cast on election day.
5. Eligibility: The eligibility requirements to vote are the same, whether you’re voting early or on election day. You still need to be a registered voter and meet any age, citizenship, and residency requirements.
6. Choice of Candidates: Whether voting early or on election day, voters have the same options. The ballot contains the same list of candidates and measures to vote on.

Pros of Early Voting Over Election Day Voting

1. Flexibility: Early voting allows voters to choose a time and place that works best for them, rather than being constrained to voting at a specific location on a specific day.
2. Lowering Election Day Congestion: By spreading out the voting process over several days or weeks, early voting can significantly reduce lines and wait times on election day.
3. Increased Accessibility: For some voters, such as the elderly, disabled, or those who work non-traditional hours, early voting provides an accessible way to participate in the democratic process.
4. Emergency Situations: If unforeseen circumstances occur on election day – such as bad weather, personal emergencies, or public health crises – those who voted early won’t be affected.
5. Voter Turnout: Some studies suggest that early voting can help increase overall voter turnout, as it provides more opportunities for citizens to cast their ballots.
6. Reducing Last-Minute Influence: Voters who take advantage of early voting may be less susceptible to last-minute political ads or news events that could sway their decision based on emotion rather than careful consideration.

Cons of Early Voting Compared to Election Day Voting

1. Lack of Information: Early voters make their decisions with less information than those who vote on election day. This could potentially lead to regret if new information comes to light closer to the election.
2. Irreversible Decision: Once a person has cast an early vote, they generally can’t change it, even if they later change their mind about a candidate or issue.
3. Cost and Resources: Early voting can be more resource-intensive, as it requires polling places to be open for longer periods, which can increase costs for staffing, security, and equipment.
4. Potential for Coercion or Vote Selling: There are concerns that early voting, especially when done from home, could increase the risk of vote coercion or vote selling, as there is less oversight compared to voting at a polling station.
5. Less Civic Engagement: Some argue that voting on election day brings a sense of community and civic engagement that early voting doesn’t quite replicate.
6. Delayed Results: With an increase in early voting, especially by mail, the counting process can take longer, which may delay the announcement of election results.

Pros of Election Day Voting Over Early Voting

1. Complete Information: Voters who wait until election day to cast their ballots have the most time to gather and process information about the candidates and issues at hand.
2. Sense of Community: There is a certain communal aspect to voting on election day. It’s a shared experience that can create a sense of unity and foster civic pride.
3. Finality of Decision: There’s no risk of wanting to change your vote due to new information, as you’re voting at the last possible moment.
4. Tradition and Ritual: For many, voting on election day is a cherished tradition. Walking into a polling booth and casting a vote feels tangible and real.
5. Immediate Results: With more people voting on election day, the results of the election are more likely to be finalized quicker.
6. Less Potential for Fraud: Election day voting happens under the direct supervision of election officials, which some argue can help prevent potential voter fraud.

Cons of Election Day Voting Compared to Early Voting

1. Potential for Long Lines and Wait Times: With many people choosing to vote on election day, you might encounter long lines and wait times at polling places.
2. Inflexibility: Election day voting is less flexible. If you have work commitments, health issues, or other engagements on election day, it might be hard to find time to vote.
3. Unforeseen Circumstances: Things like bad weather, health emergencies, or transportation issues could potentially prevent you from being able to vote on election day.
4. Limited Time for Decision Making: Election day voters have until the end of the day to cast their vote. For some, this might not be enough time to make a thoughtful decision.
5. Risk of Being Influenced: Waiting until election day might make a voter more susceptible to last-minute political ads or events that aim to influence voters’ decisions.
6. Lower Turnout: Some studies suggest that providing only one day for voting may result in lower voter turnout, particularly among certain demographic groups.

Situations When Early Voting is Better Than Election Day Voting

1. Busy Schedule: If you work long hours, travel frequently, or have other time-consuming commitments on election day, early voting might be a better option.
2. Transportation Issues: For those who might have difficulty getting to the polling place on election day due to transportation issues, early voting provides an alternative.
3. Health Concerns: If you’re elderly, disabled, or have health concerns that could make it challenging to stand in line or be in a crowd, early voting could be a better choice.
4. Inclement Weather: If bad weather is forecasted for election day, or if you live in an area where winter weather could make travel difficult, voting early might be advantageous.
5. Avoiding Last-Minute Influences: If you want to avoid the flurry of last-minute political ads and possible emotional swaying, voting early allows you to make your decision and stick to it.
6. Emergency Situations: If you anticipate a personal or family emergency around the time of the election, voting early ensures your vote is cast and counted.

Situations When Election Day Voting is Better Than Early Voting

1. Full Campaign Exposure: If you want to have the most information possible before making your decision, voting on election day ensures you’ve seen the full span of the campaigns.
2. Familiar Process: If you’re more comfortable with the traditional process of voting at your local polling place, election day voting might be the better option.
3. Sense of Community: If being a part of the shared civic experience is important to you, you might prefer to vote on election day.
4. Uncertain Decisions: If you’re undecided about who to vote for or are waiting to see if new information comes to light about a candidate or issue, it’s better to wait until election day to vote.
5. Checking Validity: If you want the certainty of seeing your ballot go into the ballot box and being part of the official count, voting on election day would be the better choice.
6. Immediate Results: If you prefer to be part of the group that sees the results on election night itself, you might opt for voting on election day.

Examples of Early Voting and Election Day Voting

In U.S. elections, both early voting and Election Day voting have been widely used, with notable examples seen in recent years:

Early Voting in US

1. 2020 Presidential Election: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, early voting (particularly mail-in voting) was heavily utilized during the 2020 Presidential Election. According to the U.S. Elections Project, over 101 million people voted early, either in person or by mail. This accounted for a significant majority of the total votes cast.
2. 2018 Midterm Elections: Early voting also played a key role in the 2018 Midterm Elections. States like Texas and Nevada saw record early voting turnout. For example, in Texas, more people voted early than the total number of people who voted in the last midterm election.

Election Day Voting in US

1. 2016 Presidential Election: During the 2016 Presidential Election, while many people took advantage of early voting opportunities, a significant portion of voters still chose to vote on Election Day. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, of the roughly 138 million people who voted in the 2016 election, about 60% of those voters reported voting in person on Election Day.
2. 2012 Presidential Election: During the 2012 Presidential Election, the Pew Research Center reported that of the approximately 129 million votes cast, about 67% were cast on Election Day.

Early Voting vs Election Day Voting Summary

Having a thorough understanding of early voting vs Election Day voting can inform strategies, guide voter education initiatives, and ultimately help candidates engage with their potential constituents more effectively. The choice between early and Election Day voting can significantly influence the election results. Both methods have their distinct advantages and challenges, and understanding them allows for more inclusive, informed, and effective electoral strategies. So, it’s not just about casting votes, it’s about making every vote count, whether cast early or on Election Day.

	Early Voting	Election Day Voting
Definition	Voting that occurs before the designated election day	Voting that takes place on a specific, designated election day
Differences	Flexibility in time and place, potential for change is lower, less atmosphere of civic participation, impact on early results	Voting only on a specific day, offers a unique atmosphere of civic participation, votes impact the final election day tally
Similarities	Both maintain voting security, confidentiality, and integrity. Both allow eligible voters to choose from the same list of candidates	Both maintain voting security, confidentiality, and integrity. Both allow eligible voters to choose from the same list of candidates
Pros	Greater flexibility, decreased election day congestion, increased accessibility, protection against emergencies, potentially increased voter turnout, reduced susceptibility to last-minute influences	More complete information, a sense of community, finality of decision, tradition and ritual, faster final results, less potential for fraud
Cons	Less information, can’t change vote, more resource-intensive, potential for coercion or vote selling, less civic engagement, delayed results	Potential for long lines and wait times, inflexibility, risk of unforeseen circumstances, limited time for decision-making, risk of being influenced, potentially lower turnout
When Better	Busy schedules, transportation issues, health concerns, inclement weather, avoiding last-minute influences, anticipating emergencies	Desire for full campaign exposure, comfort with traditional process, wanting a sense of community, uncertain decisions, checking vote validity, desire for immediate results