The recent revelation of serious and possibly criminal campaign law violations involving the candidacy of Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez provides sound justification for minimizing early voting.
Regardless of the reason for voters to reconsider their choices (including sudden disability or death of a candidate or the suspension of a quest for the nomination), eleventh-hour news bombshells should rarely affect voter preference.
In any event, because news and events have become so volatile and unpredictable as elections have stretched out to a month-long process, voters are basing their decisions on differing information than the prior era when elections were basically a one day event. At that time, other than the few states employing strictly vote casting by mail, there were limited and justifiable allowances for early (i.e. absentee) voting.
In accordance with safeguarding the one person/one vote principle and ensuring that votes are cast within a tight time frame, I propose that presidential election days become federal holidays, and that no voting totals are released until polls are closed in the farthest western time zones.
While exit polling can’t be controlled, since people prioritize voting for president over local and statewide elections, results from eastern and Midwestern elections have a decided influence among those yet to vote in other time zones. Based upon what they learn, many will change their vote or, in many instances, decide to not participate. When either or both occur, election results will have an even (and unwitting) effect on down-ballot races.
Jay Hodin, Mequon
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Election days should be federal holidays | Letter
Reporting by Letters to the Editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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