Early voting

If you voted early this year, how was the experience?
I’ll admit being a late convert to the idea of early voting. It always seemed to me that the electorate would be vulnerable to last-minute surprises. What if everyone voted two weeks early, but the winning candidate was arrested on charges of child molestation a week before?
But of course such revelations can come at any time, even long after someone assumes the oath of office, as the nation has seen time and time again. Meanwhile, in the election earlier this month 28 percent of all Utah voters cast early ballots. (Read it here.)

This was more than double the percentage of early voters in 2006, the last mid-term election. It’s a trend expected to continue.
Among the obvious advantages to this is the reduction in costs. The state would have to buy at least twice as many voting machines if everyone who voted early was required to do so on Election Day.
Politicians will have to adjust to this new reality. It means the last-minute blitz of ads and tactics will need to be spread out a bit. But this should hardly be the concern of voters.
If someone has studied the issues and feels ready, why not let them vote early? Perhaps some day we’ll even be voting at home on our computers.
I don’t think an elongated voting period changes the health of the democracy much, but it doesn’t hurt. I may even try it next time.