Changes

=== Early Voting ===

=== Early Voting ===

Originally, people could vote only at polling booths on Election Day, and voting by mail or on other days shortly prior to Election Day were not allowed.  Indeed, Election Day was a national, unifying moment, and even a government holiday in some states (including New Jersey).  President Abraham Lincoln and his allies in Congress were the first to allow widespread "absentee voting" for servicemen during the Civil War, because President Lincoln was terrified he might lose reelection in 1864 unless the Union soldiers could vote against his pro-peace opponent, the fired Union General George McClellan (who later became a governor of New Jersey).  Lincoln won reelection based on the overwhelming support of Union soldiers, with an estimated 78% of their votes being in support of Lincoln's reelection.<ref>http://blogs.dickinson.edu/hist-211pinsker/2010/10/12/election-of-1864-soldiers-and-absentee-voting/</ref> But absentee voting was limited to people who could not show up a their polling booth on Election Day, due to commitments like serving in the military or being outside of the country.

Originally, people could vote only at polling booths on Election Day, and voting by mail or on other days shortly prior to Election Day were not allowed.  Indeed, Election Day was a national, unifying moment, and even a government holiday in some states (including New Jersey).  President Abraham Lincoln and his allies in Congress were the first to allow widespread "absentee voting" for servicemen during the Civil War, because President Lincoln was terrified he might lose reelection in 1864 unless the Union soldiers could vote against his pro-peace opponent, the fired Union General George McClellan (who later became a governor of New Jersey).  Lincoln won reelection based on the overwhelming support of Union soldiers, with an estimated 78% of their votes being in support of Lincoln's reelection.<ref>http://blogs.dickinson.edu/hist-211pinsker/2010/10/12/election-of-1864-soldiers-and-absentee-voting/</ref> But absentee voting was limited to people who could not show up at their polling booth on Election Day, due to commitments like serving in the military or being outside of the country.

Only in the last 15 years has "early voting" become legal and popular in many areas of the Nation.  In some States, most of the voting is now done by voters at their convenience prior to Election Day (i.e., prior to the Tuesday after the first Monday in November).  In Ohio in 2012, there was 35 days of early voting during which nearly 1.8 million votes were cast (31.0% of the votes cast in the 2008 election<ref>http://elections.gmu.edu/early_vote_2012.html</ref>).  By the time of Election Day, the outcome in Ohio may have been already a foregone conclusion, and known to anyone who analyzed the voting patterns of who voted early.  Then the votes on Election Day probably did not change the result.  Is this what the Framers had in mind, an election won before Election Day?   

Only in the last 15 years has "early voting" become legal and popular in many areas of the Nation.  In some States, most of the voting is now done by voters at their convenience prior to Election Day (i.e., prior to the Tuesday after the first Monday in November).  In Ohio in 2012, there was 35 days of early voting during which nearly 1.8 million votes were cast (31.0% of the votes cast in the 2008 election<ref>http://elections.gmu.edu/early_vote_2012.html</ref>).  By the time of Election Day, the outcome in Ohio may have been already a foregone conclusion, and known to anyone who analyzed the voting patterns of who voted early.  Then the votes on Election Day probably did not change the outcome.  Is this what the Framers had in mind, an election won before Election Day?   

Since states have begun to allow more expansive early voting, Democrats have used a variety of approaches to push voters to the polls with instructions of how they "should" vote.  This has included busing casino workers directly from their jobs, during the day, to polling booths under the supervision of union bosses.  In so-called "Souls to the Polls" campaigns, Democrats encourage predominantly African-American churchgoers to be driven directly from church on Sunday to polling booths, in order to vote for Democrats rather than Republicans.

Since states have begun to allow more expansive early voting, Democrats have used a variety of approaches to push voters to the polls with instructions of how they "should" vote.  This has included busing casino workers directly from their jobs, during the day, to polling booths under the supervision of union bosses.  In so-called "Souls to the Polls" campaigns, Democrats encourage predominantly African-American churchgoers to be driven directly from church on Sunday to polling booths, in order to vote for Democrats rather than Republicans.

Ohio shortened its early voting from 35 days to 28 days for the November 2014 election, including only two Saturdays and one Sunday.  Democrats, feeling that a shorting of early voting was disadvantageous to their side, sued to preserve the 35 days of early voting.  A federal district judge reinstated 35 days of early voting, and an appellate panel of 3 Democrat-appointed judges affirmed in a decision rendered just prior to the beginning of the period.  The panel upheld the district court's decision that, under the particular circumstances of Ohio, the reduction of early voting periods that African-Americans had come to rely upon violated Section 2 of the [[Voting Rights Act]], even though 28 days of early voting period are far longer than most other states, and the system of little or no early voting in other states is perfectly legal.

Ohio shortened its early voting from 35 days to 28 days for the November 2014 election, including only two Saturdays and one Sunday.  Democrats, feeling that a shorting of early voting was disadvantageous to their side, sued to preserve the 35 days of early voting.  A federal district judge reinstated 35 days of early voting, and an appellate panel of 3 Democrat-appointed judges affirmed in a decision rendered just prior to the beginning of the period.  The panel upheld the district court's decision that, under the particular circumstances of Ohio, the reduction of early voting periods that African-Americans had come to rely upon violated Section 2 of the [[Voting Rights Act]], even though 28 days of early voting are far longer than most other states, and the system of little or no early voting in other states is perfectly legal.

Then Ohio did an emergency application to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is usually rarely granted.  In a remarkable 5-4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, September 29, 2014, it blocked the lower federal court decisions from taking effect and allowed Ohio to shorten its early voting period from 35 to 28 days for the November 2014 election.

Then Ohio did an emergency application to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is rarely granted.  But in a remarkable 5-4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, September 29, 2014, it blocked the lower federal court decisions from taking effect, and the Supreme Court allowed Ohio to shorten its early voting period from 35 to 28 days for the November 2014 election.

In North Carolina, the court rejected a request by challengers to block for the November 2014 election portions of a law passed in 2013 that, among other things, limited the number of days of early voting (while guaranteeing the same number of hours of early voting as there were in 2010).  The Court of Appeals held that, even if the challengers could show they were likely to succeed on their challenges, it was too late to reinstate expanded early voting for the November 2014 election.

In North Carolina, a federal court rejected a request by challengers to block for the November 2014 election portions of a law passed in 2013 that, among other things, limited the number of days of early voting (while guaranteeing the same number of hours of early voting as there were in 2010).  The Court of Appeals held that, even if the challengers could show they were likely to succeed on their challenges, it was too late to reinstate expanded early voting for the November 2014 election.

While an average person might support the concept of early voting for the convenience of the voter, not everything that "sounds good" is really good after also.  The more early voting there is, the less significant Election Day itself is.  Some studies show that early voting actually reduces overall "turnout" by voters (the percentage of people who are eligible to vote who then actually do vote).  The reduction in voter turnout is probably due to the loss in focus on Election Day.  Fewer people would be interested in the Super Bowl also if it occurred over many days, rather than one evening.

While an average person might support the concept of early voting for the convenience of the voter, not everything that "sounds good" is really good after all.  The more early voting there is, the less significant Election Day itself is.  Some studies show that early voting actually reduces overall "turnout" by voters (the percentage of people who are eligible to vote who then actually do vote).  The reduction in voter turnout is probably due to the loss in focus on Election Day.  Fewer people would be interested in the Super Bowl also if it occurred over many days, rather than one evening.

It may be convenient to voters to allow early voting, but greater convenience is not the goal of fair elections (argumentative? [[User:GregG|GregG]] 10:31, 2 October 2014 (EDT)).  It would be more convenient in jury trials to allow jurors to cast their vote and leave before the trial is over, but that would lead to unjust results.  Aren't elections just as important as jury trials?  Yes, and it does not make sense to allow most people to vote before the campaigns are concluded.  In some cases (like Ohio), people were voting before the candidates even finished holding all of their televised their debates!

It may be convenient to voters to allow early voting, but greater convenience is not the goal of fair elections.  It would be more convenient in jury trials to allow jurors to cast their vote and leave before the trial is over, but that would lead to unjust results.  Aren't elections just as important as jury trials?  Yes, and it does not make sense to allow most people to vote before the campaigns are concluded.  In some cases (like Ohio), people were voting before the candidates even finished holding all of their televised debates!

== Executive Privilege ==

== Executive Privilege ==