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Early Voting If the Legislature is not ready to move to vote by mail for statewide elections, the City of Roseville advocates an early voting system. Currently more than 30 states allow early voting. It is time to acknowledge that people are using the absentee ballot as a method to vote early and create a system to handle the volume of voters who choose this option. In 2006, 9% of voters in Roseville using the absentee ballot. In 2008 the number nearly doubled to 17.3%. Elections officials statewide report a similar increase in absentee voting. Under the current system, voters must have a valid reason to vote using the absentee process — illness or disability, absence from precinct, serving as an election judge in another precinct, religious observation that prevents voter from going to the polls or an eligible emergency declared by the state or federal government. In the past election, hundreds of voters who came to City Hall did not select one of those options. When told it was required they responded that none of the reasons applied. We told them they could not vote by absentee unless they had a reason. Not once did a voter leave City Hall. They decided either they had an illness or were going to be out of town on election day. Since no one checks the validity of their reason for being gone, we issued absentee ballots. Under the early voting system, registered and unregistered voters come to a designated polling place (City Hall) in the weeks before election day. They would not have to give a reason for requesting a ballot. They sign the voter registration book if registered, receive a ballot, vote and feed the ballot into the machine. No envelopes or witnesses needed. If not registered, the voter completes a voter registration application and shows identification. The voter then votes and feeds the ballot through the machine. We know immediately whether he/she has over-voted or whether there was a problem with the ballot. The City would maintain its absentee voting system for voters who are out of state or homebound. The City would continue to go to nursing homes to assist voters, but the regular voter who does not want to go to the polling place could come to City Hall. Advantages of early voting • Takes pressure off election judges on election day • Person can vote at a time that is more convenient to their schedule • Less paperwork than the traditional absentee voting process • Reduces chance of human error compared to absentee voting • Voter can come to City Hall and avoid going to the wrong precinct on election day • Voter will know if there is a problem with his/her ballot or registration. Problem can be fixed and vote will count Disadvantages of early voting • Once a person has voted, cannot retract their ballot — in the case of a candidate dying or withdrawing from consideration • Eliminates the voting day experience