EARLY VOTING rules & timetables for states & zipcodes 'in play'

[AirAmFan]

You CAN vote early in EVERY battleground state, though it's much easier in some of them than in others. In Ohio, Pennsylvania, and three other key battleground states, you need to know what to say on an application for an absentee ballot. Republicans know, and are telling everybody likely to vote for their ticket what to say and do to vote early, anywhere in this country. If we want to win, we'd better do likewise.

The table below lists 12 key battleground states and 5 possible swing states in groups according to how difficult it is to vote early. Here's a quick summary:

CRUCIAL BATTLEGROUND STATES:
EASY to vote early: FL IA NV NM WI. Vote early in person or by absentee ballot with no excuse required.
Easy to vote early in person: WV
Easy to vote early by mail: OR

Vote early in person or absentee, with an acceptable excuse: MN MO NH OH PA

POSSIBLE SWING STATES:
EASY to vote early: AZ AR CO NC WA. Vote early in person or by absentee ballot, with no excuse required.

Details follow. The research for this table comes from linked, well-funded early-voting operations of the big business wing of the Republican party, at http://www.agc.org/galleries/default-file/Oct04constructor.pdf , page 27. Another site of theirs, at http://www.ezvote.org , provides zip-code level information. Early voting requirements vary not only by state but by county within a state.

I'll post a similar table and summary for the other 33 states and DC if there's interest.

[SheilaT]

1. Kansas is not a battleground state

but it's very easy to vote early here. The polling places opened October 13 to walk in and vote on the machines. Or you can get a paper ballot sent to you and vote by mail.

Lots and lots of Kansans will have voted by Nov 2.

The down side of the advance voting is that it will make exit polling somewhat unreliable, unless those who vote early are overall exactly like those who vote election day.

[AirAmFan]

2. Yes, KS is 1 of 14 non-batttleground states with the most voter-friendly

rules on early voting, at least on paper. In these states, you can just pop your absentee ballot in the mail. In some places, you can hand-deliver your absentee ballot, presumably without having to stand in a long line. Here's the section of the table for non-battleground, easiest-early-voting states:

COLUMNS

(1) State

(2) Earliest date to start voting early in person (including approximate date for absentee in person)
(3) Must provide an approved reason to do so?

(4) Latest possible date to apply for an absentee ballot by mail
(5) Must provide an approved reason to do so?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

States not generally considered 'in play'
Early voting in person or by mailed absentee ballot, with no excuse

Alaska__________ October_18________ N October_26________ N
California______ October_4_________ N October_26________ N
Hawaii__________ October_19________ N October_26________ N

Idaho___________ September_14______ N October_27________ N
Kansas__________ October_13________ N October_29________ N
Maine___________ October_4_________ N No_Deadline_______ N

Montana_________ October_4_________ N November_1________ N
Nebraska________ September_28______ N October_27________ N
North_Dakota____ September_23______ N No_Deadline_______ N

Oklahoma________ October_29________ N October_27________ N
South_Dakota____ September_21______ N No_Deadline_______ N
Utah____________ October_13________ N October_29________ N

Vermont_________ October_4_________ N November_1________ N
Wyoming_________ September_23______ N November_1________ N

[AirAmFan]

3. More non-battleground states: GA, IN, TN, and TX are a bit less voter-friendly

friendly -- at least when it comes to early voting -- than the 14 states just listed in post #2.

They require valid excuses to vote absentee by mail, but allow anybody to vote early in person. These early voting rules are quite similar to WV's (a battleground state).

COLUMNS

(1) State

(2) Earliest date to start voting early in person (including approximate date for absentee in person)
(3) Must provide an approved reason to do so?

(4) Latest possible date to apply for an absentee ballot by mail
(5) Must provide an approved reason to do so?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

States not generally considered 'in play'
Early voting in person with no excuse

Georgia_________ October_25________ N October_29________ Y
Indiana_________ October_4_________ N October_25________ Y
Tennessee_______ October_13________ N October_26________ Y

Texas___________ October_18________ N October_26________ Y

[AirAmFan]

4. Remaining non-battleground states, least friendly to eary voting

They all require valid excuses to vote absentee by mail. Rhode Island, the state least hospitable of all, doesn't permit early voting in person. The remaining states allow limited early voting in person after providing valid excuses.

COLUMNS

(1) State

(2) Earliest date to start voting early in person (including approximate date for absentee in person)
(3) Must provide an approved reason to do so?

(4) Latest possible date to apply for an absentee ballot by mail
(5) Must provide an approved reason to do so?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

States not generally considered in play
Early voting in person or by mailed absentee ballot, with excuse

Alabama_________ September_23______ Y October_28________ Y
Connecticut_____ October_2_________ Y November_1________ Y
Delaware________ September_18______ Y November_1________ Y

Dist_of_Columbia October_18________ Y October_26________ Y
Illinois________ September_23______ Y October_28________ Y
Kentucky________ October_21________ Y October_26________ Y

Louisiana_______ October_21________ Y October_29________ Y
Maryland________ October_4_________ Y October_26________ Y
Massachusetts___ October_12________ Y No_Deadline_______ Y

Michigan________ September_23______ Y October_30________ Y
Mississippi_____ September_18______ Y No_Deadline_______ Y
New_Jersey______ September_23______ Y October_26________ Y

New_York________ October_4_________ Y October_26________ Y
South_Carolina__ September_20______ Y October_29________ Y
Virginia________ September_20______ Y October_28________ Y

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

States not generally considered in play
Early voting only by mailed absentee ballot, with excuse

Rhode_Island____ N/A_______________ - October_12________ Y

[AirAmFan]

5. DETAILS ABOUT EARLY VOTING IN BATTLEGROUND STATES

The lead-in post at the top of this thread has the summary for this table. (I meant to put it up there, but now the DU Board software tells me it's too late for it to go anyplace except here at the end. Oops!)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

COLUMNS

(1) State

(2) Earliest date to start voting early in person (including approximate date for absentee in person)
(3) Must provide an approved reason to do so?

(4) Latest possible date to apply for an absentee ballot by mail
(5) Must provide an approved reason to do so?

(6) 2000 victor and margin


KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES:
Early voting in person or by mailed absentee ballot, with no excuse needed

Florida_________ October_18________ N No_Deadline_______ N Bush, 50.00% 7
Iowa____________ September_23______ N No_Deadline_______ N Gore, 50.16%
Nevada__________ October_16________ N October_26________ N Bush, 51.86%

New_Mexico______ October_5_________ N No_Deadline_______ N Gore, 50.03%
Wisconsin_______ October_4_________ N October_29________ N Gore, 50.12%

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE
Early voting in person with no excuse required

West_Virginia___ October_13________ N October_27________ Y Bush, 51.92%

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE
Early voting by mail with no excuse required

Oregon__________ All_Voting_by_Mail - All_Voting_by_Mail - Gore, 50.24%

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KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES:
Early voting in person or by mailed absentee ballot, with excuse

Minnesota_______ October_4_________ Y No_Deadline_______ Y Gore, 51.29%
Missouri________ September_23______ Y October_27________ Y Bush, 51.71%
New_Hampshire___ October_4_________ Y No_Deadline_______ Y Bush, 50.67%

Ohio____________ September_28______ Y October_30________ Y Bush, 51.82%
Pennsylvania____ September_13______ Y October_26________ Y Gore, 52.15%

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Possible swing states
Early voting in person or by absentee ballot with no excuse

Arizona_________ September_30______ N October_22________ N
Arkansas________ October_18________ N October_26________ N
Colorado________ October_18________ N October_26________ N

North_Carolina__ October_14________ N October_26________ N
Washington______ October_13________ N November_1________ N