Yesterday Professor Michael McDonald of George Mason University posted this interesting fact on his website: “30% of all votes were cast prior to Election Day, November 4, 2008.” Pretty amazing, right? This is up from 20% in 2004 and 7% in 2000, according to McDonald.

What does this all mean? Perhaps that folks don’t want to vote on Tuesday, smack in the middle of the work week, when presented with the option. That said, not all states allow no-excuse absentee or early voting, and in those states, it’s Tuesday or bust.

Need a reminder of why we still vote on Tuesday in the United States? You’ll find it here.

Hat tip to Why Tuesday? Advisory Board member Jim Brayton for the link. Photo of early voting sign via MY PINK SOAPBOX - BY ANAHI DECANIO on Flickr.

Posted in Early voting, Election 2008 | Comments Off

This morning on NPR Weekend Edition I talked about (as I vlogged about earlier) how voters need not register in North Dakota. Listen to my conversation with host Liane Hansen by clicking here.

While you’re at it, NPR’s Robert Siegel and Professor Paul Gronke of Reed College in Oregon discussed the evolution of the American voting system (including Siegel talking about why we vote on Tuesday) on All Things Considered this past Friday. Listen to their conversation by clicking here.

Photo of Burleigh County, ND seal by me via Why Tuesday? on Flickr.

Posted in Early voting, NPR, North Dakota, WT? in the news, Why do we vote on Tuesday? | Comments Off

You can’t vote online quite yet in the United States, but you sure can do lots of other fun stuff online for Election Day. We’re partnering with a ton of groups on three great projects to make sure you are as plugged in as possible on Election Day. Here’s a recap.

1) Video Your Vote is an initiative from PBS and YouTube that aims to create the largest library of polling place video ever. Whether you vote early, absentee or on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, video your vote!

2) EPWiki comes from the Center for Media and democracy, and we’re partnering with them so you can track voter suppression, voting machine problems and election day mischief on an easy-to-use wiki. You can find it easliy by clicking the “EPWiki” tab at the top of this page.

3) Twitter Vote Report is “an all-volunteer network of software developers, designers, and other collaborators have teamed up with the award-winning blog techPresident to launch this effort. The only resources contributed to this project are the participants’ time and expertise!” You can tweet each and every minute of your Election Day experience, so do it!

Still don’t know why we vote on Tuesday? Click here for the answer.

Posted in Early voting, Election 2008, YouTube | Comments Off

Welcome KTRH morning news listeners in Houston! Even up here in the Big Apple we say everything is bigger in Texas. Well, perhaps not the skyscrapers. And yet, when it comes to early voting that certainly is true.

Moreover, in 2004 over 2.4 million Texans or nearly 30% of voting eligible population voted early. So far in 2008, over 2 million Texans have voted early, quickly approaching 25% of the vote eligible population – and there are still 2 days of early voting left. By all accounts, Texas’ 2004 record early voting turnout will be shattered this year. Look here at Galveston County turnout numbers and Lubbock turnout, for example. (more…)

Posted in Absentee ballots, Early voting, Election 2008, Election administration, Houston, National Holiday, Texas, WT? in the news, Weekend voting | Comments Off

According to the Early Voting Information Center at Reed College, 28 states allow no-excuse absentee voting by mail, including Oregon, where everybody votes by mail. Well, some of the folks that will be dropping their ballots in the mailbox this year (or already have) are abuzz on Twitter about their unique way, and lack of specific day, to vote. I’ve been following and tweeting about it all morning. Check it out.

Voting by mail isn’t universally lauded as a solution to America’s low voter participation, however. As I explored when I visited the main postal sorting facility in Los Angeles, vote-by-mail may cut out one part of the American voting system that many people have come to rely on: the secret ballot.

* 9/23 UPDATE: Other cool Twitter voting searches I’ve been doing are early voting, voting early, and absentee ballot.

Posted in Early voting, Election 2008, Election Reform, Oregon, Vote-by-mail | 2 Comments »

Rhode Island Secretary of State Ralph A. Mollis, at right in the above photo, yesterday introduced a package of state-level election reform bills that would bring weekend voting to Rhode Islanders, change the way the state’s voter rolls are handled, and change Election Day canvassing rules.

In August, we highlighted the fact that Secretary Mollis was considering weekend voting, and publicized his public hearing to discuss that and other issues.

The complete press release from Secretary Mollis’ office follows. (more…)

Posted in Early voting, Election Reform, Rhode Island, Why do we vote on Tuesday? | Comments Off

Barack Obama has been declared the winner of the Wisconsin primary, but he’s giving his speech tonight from a packed house in Houston, Texas. The first order of business? Not announcing the Wisconsin results. Obama asked the crowd of what he called 20,000 to pick up a pamphlet on the way out the door to learn how to vote early. In Texas, although the votes are tallied in the primary election and a caucus takes place on March 4th, folks can be casting ballots from today until Election Day. So in Texas, it’s not Tuesday or bust. (more…)

Posted in Early voting, Election 2008, Election Reform, Texas, Why do we vote on Tuesday?, Wisconsin | Comments Off

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – I hopped off the campaign trail last week. I thought I needed some space, but I soon found myself yearning for the ebb-and-flow of election energy. Drama among the Democrats, rifts in the Republican base, increasing turnout, and polling percentages… for a political junkie it is all too addicting. Today’s candidate contests are being held in Wisconsin, Hawaii (for the Dems), and Washington (again). (more…)

Posted in Absentee ballots, Campaign finance, Early voting, Election 2008, Election Day registration, Election Reform, Election administration, Hawaii, Legislation, Mail-in voting, Polling, Primary schedule, Washington, Wisconsin | 1 Comment »