Early Voting a Threat to Fair Elections

The United States Constitution is explicit about few things pertaining to elections, leaving to individual States the right to determine method and manner of elections. For federal offices, however, constitutional guidelines must be followed, such as eligibility, terms of office, etc.

The one thing that the Constitution has been explicit about, and for good reason, is a uniform day for electing members of Congress and the President. This is stated in Article II, Section 1, “The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.”

The U.S. Code is more specific:

TITLE 3--THE PRESIDENT

CHAPTER 1--PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AND VACANCIES

Sec. 1. Time of appointing electors

The electors of President and Vice President shall be appointed, in
each State, on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, in
every fourth year succeeding every election of a President and Vice
President.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 644, 62 Stat. 672.)
3 U.S.C.§ 1

Congress re-iterated the point in 1848 in Acts of the Twenty-Eighth Congress, Statute II, Chapter 1. “An act to establish a uniform time for holding elections…”

More recently, following the near constitutional crisis of the 2000 election, Congress examined and restated the Constitutional provisions of federal elections and summarized their findings in a the “Congressional Authority to Standardize National Election Procedures” Again, the principle of a national day for elections was upheld.

While the principle of a single national uniform day for federal elections has been repeatedly prescribed in government documents, in practice states have been left to allow voting pretty much as they wish. Thus, we have the situation where there is now a concerted effort get people to vote early, often at the same time that they register. CNSNews has a piece today, “Celebrities Urge Black Americans to Vote Early,” in order “to avoid voter suppression tactics and confusion at the polls [yeah, right].”

A September 22nd article in USA Today reported that 34 states will allow early voting this election with some accepting ballots almost six weeks before election day.

Experts such as Paul Gronke of the Early Voting Information Center predict nearly a third of the electorate will vote early this year, up from 15% in 2000 and 20% in 2004. In closely contested Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico, about half the voters are expected to cast ballots before Election Day. Florida could be 40%.
[…]
What used to be a 72-hour get-out-the-vote effort has become "a 720-hour program," says Rich Beeson, the Republican National Committee's political director.

With a uniform voting day, polls could be monitored closely and fraud was much less likely to occur (except in Chicago, of course). Spread the process out over four to six weeks with as much as 50% of voters casting ballots well before election day and the opportunities for electoral mischief abound. It should come as no surprise then that lefty Hollywood types are busy encouraging early voting as are the folks at ACORN and virtually every Democrat Secretary of State and Election Board.

Obama is leaving nothing to chance. Despite commanding leads in the polls he and his campaign act as though they teeter on a razor-thin margin. Every technique, legal and otherwise, is being employed to guarantee a Democrat victory in November. It seems that the fix is in and only a record turnout of Republicans and conservatives has any chance of preventing Obama from seizing the wheel of the Republic.