- This article or section should be merged with vote banking.
Early voting, not to be confused with absentee voting, allows a voter to cast a ballot in front of an elections official before the official poll date. Voting may begin 15 days before the standard poll, and 8 days before a special election, at select sites in the various counties: availablity depends on the number of sites (DOE offices and county libraries) and the times of operation (usually 4-10 hours a day).
Florida and the 2004 Election
The State of Florida officially began early voting in 2004 as part of post-2000 Election reform.
Turnout for early voting exceeded one million in 2004. There were some problems: 1st-day computer failures in Orange County and Broward County; accidentally-erased votes in Volusia County; and a lack of early voting sites in Jacksonville. Reforms are being discussed to address the known issues, as well as possibly eliminating the standard poll in favor of modified early voting.
Early Voting in Other States
A list of early voting & absentee voting states is maintained by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Absentee & Early Voting States (http://www.ncsl.org/programs/legman/elect/absentearly.htm)
External Links
Florida Statute 101.657 (http://www.flsenate.gov/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=Ch0101/Sec657.HTM)
Florida's DOE Early Voting Procedures (http://election.dos.state.fl.us/earlyvoting.shtml)
Miami Herald: Post-2004 Suggested Reforms (http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/10308159.htm?1c)
MSNBC Report on the start of Early Voting in 2004 (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6271968/)
In other countries
- Pre Poll Voting (Australia)
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