Why does FL get to vote early?

I just saw a news bite where the people of FL are getting to vote early.

WHY?

I can understand absentee ballots but these aren't! People were trotting to the polls.

So, why have an election DAY on November 2, if people can vote when they want?

Is this every where or is FL just SPECIAL? Or are they going to let them keep voting until they get it right? There should be no do overs in voting. Pay attention to what you are doing!

Want to place bets that the MEDIA find out who's ahead when these ballots are counted and announce the next president just from them? :D

Didn't you KNOW that the Governor of Florida is non other than Jeb BUSH. Get it??? BUSH, brother of the President? It's not what you know it's WHO you know or are related to. Sucks doesn't it??? They're probably afraid that alot of the elderly Florida residents will croak before voting day thereby losing votes. Bush needs all the help he can get at this point.

I was wondering if they were wanting to get a head start on all the recounting? :D

I understand that they are trying to avoid the problems from last time, Connie, according to the reports I've seen. I don't think it has anything to do with either candidate, but it appears that the candidate that is campaigning in Florida is certainly encouraging people to go ahead and vote NOW (and he's not Republican), so surely it isn't a Republican ploy. And it isn't just Florida. There are at least 3 other states, including Texas and Arkansas (can't remember the other one right this second) that are allowing the same thing.

Just read this in an article posted at MSNBC:

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More than two dozen states offer “no excuse” early voting by either mail or in person, meaning voters do not have to give a reason. Some states, such as Nevada, Iowa and West Virginia, have already begun. Texas, Arkansas and Colorado also started Monday.

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Originally posted by Logan
I understand that they are trying to avoid the problems from last time, Connie, according to the reports I've seen. I don't think it has anything to do with either candidate, but it appears that the candidate that is campaigning in Florida is certainly encouraging people to go ahead and vote NOW (and he's not Republican), so surely it isn't a Republican ploy. And it isn't just Florida. There are at least 3 other states, including Texas and Arkansas (can't remember the other one right this second) that are allowing the same thing.

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Thanks for the heads up, Logan. On what I saw, they didn't say WHY they were allowing this. They have had 4 years to get the thing straightened out. I would have thought they would have tested it before now.

No mention was made of the other states doing this.

Maybe they should do what we do in my area of Kansas; use a pencil with a good eraser. If we mess up the ballot so badly it can't be read, out it goes! :)

We were allowed to vote early here in Houston too, so it doesn't appear to be a Florida thing only. They showed Former Pres. Bush and Barbara standing in a huge line, with the rest of the common folk, to vote on the local news this morning. I couldn't believe the turn out. I think that bodes very well for Kerry.

Par...

Hey Par! I'm just curious about why you think it bodes well for Kerry? I swear I'm not trying to be political, just sincerely curious! :)

Logan

Hi Logan,

Nothing scientific or anything, just total opinion on my part. But I feel like if people are that motivated and fired up to go vote, it more then likely is because they want Change. If they were happy with the status quo, they'd be more apathetic, like they have been in past elections.

Par...

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Originally posted by ParNone
Hi Logan,

Nothing scientific or anything, just total opinion on my part. But I feel like if people are that motivated and fired up to go vote, it more then likely is because they want Change. If they were happy with the status quo, they'd be more apathetic, like they have been in past elections.

Par...

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I was thinking the same.

I've been pretty surprised how many Anti-Bush bumper stickers there are here in Austin, TX!!!!

Its going to be sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo CLOSE!

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Originally posted by ParNone
But I feel like if people are that motivated and fired up to go vote, it more then likely is because they want Change.

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You could argue the opposite . . . maybe people are motivated to get out to stop a war criminal from becoming our president.

Too harsh?

I don't care.

I'm sick of all this.

I can't wait for this election year to end.

;)

There is a record number of registered voters here in Kentucky this election year.

We are voting on the marriage amendment and that is a big reason for the high numbers of registered voters.

Some organizations have been signing up churches and other groups in really high numbers.

So as far as KY goes, the big numbers are due to the marriage amendment.

Whatever happens, I just really hope that the winner comes out with enough electoral votes to avoid a replay of 2000. We just don't need that again.

Here in the (I believe) only 100% vote-by-mail state, I'm looking forward to receiving my ballot so that I can go home, open a beer, vote, and officially tune out all of the last minute lunacy.

Only now my chads are gone and I have to find a pen or pencil to do the task.

Please everyone, please PLEASE pray that one or the other wins by more than seven electoral votes and that if they don't that Oregon is not a close call that requires a recount. We suffered a last minute snafu on whether or not Ralphie Nader belonged on the ballot and the overseas ballots went out with his name on them but the rest do not have his name.

you know that the press would just have the proverbial field day with that mess on their hands.:rolleyes:

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Please everyone, please PLEASE pray that one or the other wins by more than seven electoral votes . . .

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Amen to that! Both sides are already ready for another disaster though . . . it's gonna be a mess. I can feel it. :rolleyes:

I didn't realize that Oregon is 100% vote by mail . . . hmm . . . I think that something needs to be done, nationally, to make this easier.

We have early voting here in TN too. It started last Wednesday and hubby and I both went last Friday to vote since he was off that day. It felt a little weird voting this early but my mind was more than made up. Lets just hope some big twist doesn't happen between now and election day. One big down fall I can see to early voting.

BTW, we went to two different voting places because the first one had over a 45 minute wait to vote. At the second place we were in and out in 15 minutes.

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Originally posted by aly
I was thinking the same.

I've been pretty surprised how many Anti-Bush bumper stickers there are here in Austin, TX!!!!

Its going to be sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo CLOSE!

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My friend, Alison, that just moved down to Horseshoe Bay, has a bumper sticker that says "Anyone but Bush" and she's said she is really surprised that she hasn't had any problems with it since she's moved down there. :) Someone here in the DFW area kicked her bumper (it's dented) because of it, and, she was getting nasty notes all the time because of it.

Iwas watching the news earlier and they said some local places had already had troubles voting. :rolleyes:

They also said there's 2-4 hours wait and people were getting numbers and times to come back later to vote!

Thanks for the explanation, Par, and your input too, Aly. I was just curious. I'm ready for it to be overwith, as well, and just hope that the results won't be so close that there are major call of "foul play" from either side.

Kay, I heard the same thing about the voting in the Orlando area today. The touch screen voting system messed up or something, didn't it? We'll be voting on touch screen instead of punch cards for the first time during this election. I predict a mess!

In SC, we have a hotly contested US Senate race for the replacement for Ernest Hollings seat. Tim Russert had both candidates on Meet the Press yesterday. I did not get to see it because we were leaving for church, but it doesn't sound like we missed much. We're also voting about whether to get rid of the mini bottle law in SC! We're the only state in the country that requires mini bottles for liquor drinks! :o That probably means that our drinks are stronger than anywhere in the country! Perhaps we should have a "Thursday" session in SC before the law changes! :D

ANOTHER QUESTION:
In Kansas, they make all liquor stores close on election day until the polls close. They want every one to be in their right minds when they vote.

Do other states do this? If so, what about the early election states? Do they make the liquor stores close during the early voting times? Just curious.

I'm guessing the answer is no. There would be lots of out cry if that happened.

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Originally posted by christa
There is a record number of registered voters here in Kentucky this election year.

We are voting on the marriage amendment and that is a big reason for the high numbers of registered voters.

Some organizations have been signing up churches and other groups in really high numbers.

So as far as KY goes, the big numbers are due to the marriage amendment.

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What marriage amendment?

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Originally posted by momoffuzzyfaces
ANOTHER QUESTION:
In Kansas, they make all liquor stores close on election day until the polls close. They want every one to be in their right minds when they vote.

Do other states do this? If so, what about the early election states? Do they make the liquor stores close during the early voting times? Just curious.

I'm guessing the answer is no. There would be lots of out cry if that happened.

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I can only tell you what happens in my state (SC), Connie, and that is that usually the governor overrides this "law" and allows the liquor stores to open on Election day. They are not state run in this state, as they are in NC, but they are controlled by the Alcoholic Beverage Commission, even though they are privately owned. They all open at 9 am and must be closed by "sundown" or 7 pm, and are never open on Sunday. Beer and Wine are sold in grocery stores or "party" shops, not liquor stores, but in SC, we have "blue" laws, and they are not sold on Sunday in these stores. Some cities and counties have petitioned their voters and have issued special licenses for restaurants and bars to serve alcoholic beverages on Sundays, but there are only a handful in the whole state.

And, our kids will not be attending school on Election Day this year. Many of the schools are polling places, which I assume is the reason for this decision, but I'm not 100% sure about that. I work for a bank and I don't get Election Day off, but we are off the next week on Veteran's Day. Go figure! :rolleyes:

Most of the western countries hold elections on Sunday...when more people are not at work. I don't understand WHY we don't do that. Anyone know the origin of Tuesdays?

Why we VOTE on a Tuesday

According to scholars at the Library of Congress, the U.S. electoral tradition began as a way to accommodate the rhythms of the agrarian society of the 19th century and get out the farm vote. Early American politicians preferred November, after the harvest was complete and farmers would have time to go to the polls.



As for Tuesday, the process of elimination played a part. Monday was unacceptable; rural residents needed time to ride to remote voting sites and couldn't travel on Sunday because of the Christian Sabbath. Nor did it work to simply make election day the first day of the month; that was often reserved for court business at the county seat, which doubled as the polling site in much of the country.



So, in 1845, President John Tyler signed a law standardizing presidential balloting on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Two decades later, the standard was extended to congressional elections. As earlier nominating primaries proliferated throughout the 20th century, state officials usually hewed to Tuesday.

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to stop a war criminal from becoming our president.

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I think that is a bit harsh. Sure, he and his vice-president candidate were draft dodgers and are war mongers today....but I think calling George a war criminal is a little (very little) too much.

Thanks Liz....I feel better now! :D

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Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
I think that is a bit harsh. Sure, he and his vice-president candidate were draft dodgers and are war mongers today....but I think calling George a war criminal is a little (very little) too much.

Thanks Liz....I feel better now! :D

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Um . . . not sure if you're being sarcastic here . . . and sorry if you misunderstood.

I wasn't calling GW a war criminal. I was referring to John Kerry.

Sorry, should have been more specific in my statement.

I was trying to say that maybe this record number of people voting isn't because people want to get rid of Bush . . . maybe they want to put a stop to Kerry.

Just trying to make a point.

;)

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Originally posted by momoffuzzyfaces
I just saw a news bite where the people of FL are getting to vote early.

WHY?

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The sun rises early over there???:confused:

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Originally posted by BCBlondie
What marriage amendment?

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Here's how it reads:

"Are you in favor of amending the Kentucky Constitution to provide that only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be a marriage in Kentucky, and that a legal status identical to or similar to marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized?"

In a nutshell, gay marriages wouldn't be recognized in KY if this passes.

Christa, it's funny, in all my concentration on the big election, I had never heard that we were voting on that amendment! :confused: Seriously!

Ah, well, here it is! :eek:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/...ky.4.house.ap/

Apparently this is really well supported here!

:(

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Originally posted by lizzielou742
Christa, it's funny, in all my concentration on the big election, I had never heard that we were voting on that amendment! :confused: Seriously!

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I'm really surprised that you weren't aware of it. It's always on the news, radio, in people's yards . . .

Yes, it is highly supported here. I know that in Ashland, there is hardly a yard without a sign "Vote Yes for Amendment . . ." - from both parties.

Pretty sure it will pass . . . but I've heard that this is the reason why they expect such a high voter turnout in KY.

Can't believe this!
I heard on the news last night that both sides already have their lawyers getting ready to file law suits. GEE WHIZ!
At least wait until the election is finally over!:rolleyes:

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Originally posted by christa
I'm really surprised that you weren't aware of it. It's always on the news, radio, in people's yards . . .

Yes, it is highly supported here. I know that in Ashland, there is hardly a yard without a sign "Vote Yes for Amendment . . ." - from both parties.

Pretty sure it will pass . . . but I've heard that this is the reason why they expect such a high voter turnout in KY.

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I seriously have not seen one single yard sign about an amendment. I don't watch a lot of local news (usually at work or asleep during local news!), but still, I haven't heard about it on the radio or anything. I think Jefferson County is kinda more liberal than the rest of the state, so it's not entirely surprising. I did ask my boyfriend last night, though, and he said he had heard of it. I'm so dumb!! :o

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Originally posted by lizzielou742
I seriously have not seen one single yard sign about an amendment. I don't watch a lot of local news (usually at work or asleep during local news!), but still, I haven't heard about it on the radio or anything. I think Jefferson County is kinda more liberal than the rest of the state, so it's not entirely surprising. I did ask my boyfriend last night, though, and he said he had heard of it. I'm so dumb!! :o

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Boyd County seems to be more liberal . . . but like I said before, the signs are right along with the Kerry/Edwards signs . . . doesn't seem to be a one sided thing around here.