Electoral politics and why early voting is a bad idea.

This race for the White House is seemingly all but over...however, it isn't.

It is incumbent amongst Dems to not brag, to not boast so loudly. We have just shy of one month to go until the voting is over.

A lot can happen in a month. We have two debates left, a lot can happen in two debates spanning a total of 3 hours of live television airtime.

I might take note that people in Ohio have already started voting, and my guess is that it's people largely for Obama who are really eager for change, so that may give Obama a buffer of sorts.

Despite this seeming boom to the Obama campaign, I happen to think the national holiday to vote is a fantastic idea. I further argue that early voting should be eliminated and absentee voting should be strictly enforced.

I am sympathetic to the idea that one votes along party lines, so making them vote a month later will potentially/virtually make no difference of view on one's vote...as I happen to largely be a party-line voter because I believe more in the overall message/worldview than the candidates in shitty little offices of the Democratic party (I don't know who Joe Smith is who is running for Rep. of the Statehouse, but I know I prefer the values/principles/worldview of the party).

But, something about this ability to vote over a month ahead of time strikes me as dangerous. The likelihood is rare, but as we have seen before (Dubya-v-Gore circa 2000), YOU NEVER KNOW what can happen, that the majority of voters will vote before the normal election day.

But, the scenario does seriously exist with allowing early voting, relaxed absentee voting rules, that a nation could, in effect, elect a dead man into the office of the Presidency. This is only more likely with the Selectoral College in place.

A scenario that could have happened: Say OCGM defeats Dubya in 2000 and there is that Selectoral College tie, resulting in possibly the worst Supreme Court "decision" in the history of the entire-fuck-world. But, instead of a tie, early voting and relaxed absentee voting rules, that allowed voters to vote for OCGM in Florida. Thus causing Florida to be in doubt (as it really was), but in this case 2 weeks before the election another Keating Five scandal, or a sex scandal (ala John Edwards) breaks about the OCGM causing his favorability rating to go plunging into the 30's...or he dies before election day with a clearly incompetent Palin as his backup.

But, since the rest of the country couldn't turn it around in time, all eyes are on Florida where OCGM squeaks by with the help of the Court and he becomes President...or worse, Palin becomes President and proceeds to fuck up the country in more ways than one.

It's a serious potential problem, a serious possibility that cannot and should not be ignored. I call for this National Voting Holiday, and for turning back the early voting ability of voters, and increased strictness for absentee voting. Moreover, keep the polls open longer if you have too. I know the old ladies who typically run the polls have to go to bed at 2pm, so we can up the amount on money offered and get people who can stay awake later.

This, is a no-brainer.