On average, why do Republicans prefer do vote on Election Day, while Democrats prefer to vote early?

[Polybius]

I mean, on the surface of things, it should be the same, as it's only a preference. If you took a poll on who likes pepperoni on their pizza, I'm sure it wouldn't be partisan. Yet it's not like that at all. I am an exception, as I like to vote in person on Election day. The school where I vote is a mile away, and the longest I ever waited in line was 40 minutes in 2012. My reason? I like to see for myself how turnout is going.

However, I'm the only Democrat I know that doesn't vote early. On the flip side, I only know one Republican who votes early, and he says he only does it because he is 80 years old. So my question is why?

[bmbmd]

1. My father instructed me

To vote as early as I could because I might die.

[Polybius]

5. That's an excellent reason

You never know what tomorrow (or even today) brings. Does a vote count if the person passes away before Election Day? Can it be challenged? Should it?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

43. Is it possible to connect a specific vote to a specific dead person?

I voted early, in person, in New Mexico, and I seriously doubt that if I die before this coming Tuesday my ballot could be located and torn up or invalidated.

[Samrob]

29. I believe in-person voting became a thing for the GOP because of the ability to build a conspiracy.

I think, mostly, in-person votes are counted first in most places. Absentee and provisional ballots are counted last. So the GOP figured that if Republicans would vote in-person, they would take the early lead in the returns. Then when absentee and provisional ballots are reported later and the Dems make a move to catch up or overtake the early counts, the GOP (MAGAs) could say there was fraud taking place or Dems were voting twice, or some other hanky-panky by the Dems was taking place. Because, once republicans were leading, how on earth could they be overtaken by massive absentee and provisional voting? AND after telling voters that mail-in voting was fraudulent, how could Republicans go back to doing what that had successfully done in the past with mail-in voting.

It's just another rung on the the GOP conspiracy ladder.

[ColinC]

2. Trump convinced them it is the worst way to vote

Before 2020 I think far more republicans preferred
Mail voting than democrats.

[dchill]

4. Exactly.

[JT45242]

6. This is the truth

Rethugs set up early voting and easier mail in voting to make it easier for older people (usually republican to vote).

So, they would kill us in mail in voting and early voting until TFG.

[ColinC]

12. Helluva advantage to just willingly give up like that for conspiracy theories

But hey, horrible decisions like that are among the reasons I’m not a Republican!

[musclecar6]

23. Why

Anyone would listen to and take or not take action on anything that Orange Jackass says, is beyond me.

[Cosmocat]

35. There is no more malleable breed of the human species than "conservatives"

This is exactly right - they liked it just fine until Ds got fired up and so anxious to vote that they took to mail in voting, then because the evil libs preferred it, they hated it, cause that is all the really know at this point.

[ColinC]

36. Makes one actually wonder if Dems promoted breathing, what would happen

Would conservatives suddenly be against it?

[Cosmocat]

41. It's worth a shot

Nm

[JustAnotherGen]

3. I vote on election day

I like the whole process. But -

I live in a 1.17 square mile town with 3 voting precincts!

[Just A Box Of Rain]

7. My impression from the past it was the other way around.

Here in California anyway "absentee ballots" always broke Republican.

Things certainly changed during the pandemic when all registered voters receive mail-in ballots.

I guess MAGAts decided they'd "own the libs" by flaunting Covid precautions, with encouragement from their cult leader?

I know that I always voted in person on election day pre-Covid and have dropped my (received by mail) ballot in a drop-box since.

[Sympthsical]

8. If I have to guess - older voters

It's just habit/tradition. Older voters heavily skew Republican. They're used to going to the polling place to do their thing. They're mostly retired, so they have the time/ability.

Middle aged and younger people are more about convenience, don't want to be bothered about it as much. Busy lives/work/etc.

Just my napkin theory. I have no evidence.

[Sky Jewels]

19. For the longest time, Republicans were much more likely to vote "absentee."

I'm in Oregon, and we went to 100% vote by mail in the late 90s. Back then, the Republicans thought that would be to their advantage.

[Sympthsical]

22. Yeah, I don't know what changed

I spoke with my mom the other day and asked if she voted, and exclaimed, "I always go to my polling place!" She was an election judge for years. She's in her 80s with mobility issues, so I told her she can just vote by mail. "Mail it? Who the hell knows what they'll do with it!"

I always vote, but I know more than a few people my age and younger who would never bother if they had to physically drive somewhere to do it.

Maybe some generational shift in everything.

[Sky Jewels]

24. Maybe so.

There are a lot of factors at play ... including Chump's attempt to sabotage vote-by-mail in 2020.

[allegorical oracle]

27. Same in Fla. Grew up in St. Pete, which filled w/ snowbirds in October. They all seemed to be Rs...

It was conventional wisdom that they all voted twice -- once absentee in their home states, then they'd go to the polls in Fla. Many had ID as Floridians because they owned "winter homes" here. At the end of "the season" in April they'd return to their northern homes.

[TheRealNorth]

32. I would hope we have systems in place to catch those things...

Of course, I like everything they seem to police Democratic constituencies.

[Elessar Zappa]

9. I'm not sure.

I vote early because I’m too excited to wait for Election Day.

[bottomofthehill]

10. Because Trump said so

Republicans used to vote early then Lord Trump said don’t and they did not …..

[Scottie Mom]

11. I vote early because of the system in California

I mail in my ballot and via email, I get first, that is has been received, and second, that it has been counted.

BTW: I am a Democrat (obviously), I always vote early via mail, and I detest Pepperoni!

[SickOfTheOnePct]

13. No idea

I prefer to vote on Election Day, but as I’m an election officer in a different precinct, I have to vote early. But I only vote early in- person.

[bigtree]

14. a good number have been conned out of early voting by Trump

...they just have.

[GoCubsGo]

15. It probably depends on where one lives.

My shithole red state makes early and absentee voting difficult. It's easier for most to just vote on election day. Unless you live in one of the larger cities, there won't likely be long lines.

[exboyfil]

34. That is the reason why it is harder for Democrats who typically live in more concentrated

areas. Without non-same day voting of some sort, there are not enough machines or workers to handle the influx of voters. Also it allows more mischief to prevent individuals from voting - you only have one shot.

Long lines that disadvantage a particular party or group are undemocratic.

The ideal GOP goal would be getting 100,000 Democrats voting on a single machine in a day.

[delisen]

16. Tradition. How it was done is how it should be. nt

[Sogo]

17. Democrats rely on a ground game of contacting voters door-to-door.

The lists in the courthouse of who has not yet voted are regularly updated, and if you vote in advance your name is taken off the lists, and then the Democrats don't have to spend time knocking on doors of those who have already voted. It's to streamline their efforts....

I know this from close friends who are deeply involved in Democratic Get Out The Vote efforts at the local level.

[Ocelot II]

18. I don't think that was always true. GOPers, who tend older, often voted by

absentee ballot. But in 2020, because of the pandemic, early and absentee voting became more popular and available because many of the people who usually voted on election day didn't want to congregate at a crowded polling place. But the MAGAts were told that (a) the only legitimate kind of voting was in-person election day voting, and (b) the pandemic was no worse than the flu if not an outright hoax. So more of them than usual voted on election day, while more Democrats than usual, who trusted the process and knew the pandemic was real, voted early or by mail.

[LonePirate]

20. Dems hate the long lines on E-Day. Repubs only trust in-person E-Day votes to be counted.

[Polybius]

26. So we're more impatient?

[tblue37]

21. Republican officials deliberately create long lines in Dem districts on election day, as well as

other obstacles to voting on election day.

[blm]

25. There is no history of Republican vote being suppressed by anyone.

Republican majority precincts have more voting machines and shorter lines.

[allegorical oracle]

28. Many of the Repugs in my area vote by mail. I choose to vote early in person because I don't like

being around the MAGATs because so many wear their concealed weapons everywhere. Voting early requires me to make a 50-mile round trip to my county's courthouse. But there, everyone must go thru two metal detectors and there's never a line.

[LeftInTX]

30. Rural areas prefer Election Day. This is because there is usually only one early voting site for

the entire county, (which is often at least a 50 miles drive). Whereas on Election Day, they can vote in their neighborhood.

Rural areas are mostly Republican, I guess it turned into a "thing"....But this is how it started.



In Texas, it is also a rural-urban tug of war thing. Rural counties find early voting to be expensive and they don't like the state telling them they need X number of early voting sites and then no one goes etc.

[peggysue2]

31. The Orange Man changed the dynamics of early voting in the GOP

Suddenly, it became the tool of Democrats, a way to cheat.

Pre-the-Crazyland perceptions, early voting in a state like Florida was considered the GOP's 'secret sauce' because it allowed Republican operatives to see what areas might need special attention for GOTV operations in the days leading up to E-Day. In fact, I recall GOP operatives (like Rick Wilson) saying the Dems were woefully disadvantaged by putting all their eggs in the same basket (E-Day) because it was a driving-blind-scenario without the ability to self-correct.

Back in the day the GOP was far more savvy. Always ruthless but unwilling to cut off their nose to spite their face.

Now? Not so much. They'd rather rely on the Red Mirage effect and insist that any votes counted past Election Day are inherently fraudulent. And then cheer a violent reaction from their voters.

The Tyranny of the Minority!

[tishaLA]

33. It's actually a new thing

I remember until very recently hearing about how repubs had "banked" X number of votes before election day and how effective they were at early voting. They spent years and tons of dollars on it and then someone came along and undid all that work.

[MagickMuffin]

37. I always voted on Election Day, never early voted

I loved the process of Election Day voting. Then 2008 became precinct chair and thus a presiding judge on Election Day made it even better.

Plus in Texas when they started early voting there was no paper trail. So, another reason I never voted early. Then a few election cycles Tarrant county switched to a new voting system that has blank ballots, you vote your ballot and then when you’re ready you submit your ballot to be printed, and then ballot’s fed thru the tally machine.

I have voted early since the pandemic. I no longer felt joy working the elections after 2016. It was all too much helping stupid people vote for stupid people. And now, violence is an acceptable form of voting.

[A HERETIC I AM]

38. Because the idea that Democrats are welfare taking, unemployed slackers....

is utter horseshit.

WE are the ones who are working all the time, including every Tuesday, so voting early or by an alternate method has appeal. It's the fucking Republicans that have nothing better to do than go to the polls on a weekday.

[meadowlander]

39. Democrats need to work on a Tuesday and more Republicans are retired.

Also Republicans have spent years undermining voting infrastructure in primarily Democratic districts. Nobody wants to wait in line for four hours.

[Emile]

40. Most democrats have a job and voting early

makes it easier to find time to vote.

[Raine]

42. Hmmm well I don't like to early vote

because I might get more information as time goes on and change my mind about initiatives. I voted absentee one time and regretted it for that reason.

[electric_blue68]

44. Since I live in the city with our polls staying open till 9P I always voted after I came home...

from work. I'd either go home and go out again, or go straight there depending on the weather. If nasty I knew it'd be harder for me to go out again. In 51 years I think I only missed one Non Presidental election, ?2, or 3 primaries, got in all Presidental Primaries, and General Elections.

Hopefully I'll go vote early tomorrow.

I do generally like voting on Election Day because - Tradition in this case. In 2016 I wanted to go on the earlier side to get it done being So important.

I also missed our old walk into the metal booth, and close the curtains. You push the levers down with a cute little "clik" sound, then grab and push that big 'ole red lever to the right..and hear the kuh-chunk! It was a viseral experience. Doing that for 3/4's of my voting life.

[usonian]

45. Dropped off my CA ballot today. Not even in the dropbox outside the Clerk's office. The one INSIDE.

No cosplay militia outside.

In my case, I actually read the pamphlet and take my time when making a choice, and I don't see how anyone could go vote in a booth without making a cheat-sheet anyway.

Let the repubs go vote in person, if they fear the space lasers turned on until Tuesday night, or dems in the post office armed with white-out and sharpies! Wednesday, November 9th is their day to vote and counter the "late democratic vote" trend.

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