Early Votes Null

Early voters are typically more engaged in the political process than those who may or may not show up on Election Day. They have given their vote enough consideration to plan ahead by not risking long lines, broken machines, the confusion of location changes, purged registration, or the typical crush of Election Day. That makes the result more frustrating.

In a general election, this kind of forethought is commendable, but in a primary election, voting early is risky. Like absentee voters, who in many states are required to mail their ballots 30 days before an election, many early voters have cast votes for candidates who have conceded before ballots are counted. Once you vote it’s final.

Super Tuesday is tomorrow when 1/3 of the country will hold primary elections. Based on those results, no doubt, more candidates will bow out. My state primary is weeks away, but early voting is open. This past week has been a lesson in the risk early voting poses in a primary, particularly one with an overabundance of candidates. I want my vote to count, so I’ll wait until Election Day, and not risk throwing my vote away on a candidate who is no longer running.