As you read this, you may be voting in less than 48 hours – unless you voted already.  Yup early voting in New York started last weekend.  So maybe you did. It may prove convenient and most certainly expect it to help juice voter participation. In past years, early voting here involved absentee balloting by permanent absentees and those who apply for them.  As regular readers of this blog may recall I make a point of promoting voting as Election Day nears. Certainly, You Make A Difference When You Vote.

As last year, New York City ballots this year matter more concerning the City Charter referenda.  It is not unreasonable to presume the re-election of the Public Advocate and the election of the current Borough President as the District Attorney for the county that shares geography and name with that borough.  I oppose one ballot referenda (You’ll have to ask me off blog since we can partisanship off this forum.).

The only downside to early voting (for some of us) involves some of us receiving mail promoting candidates and causes, and maybe some calls, and perhaps someone (several folk) knocking on our doors a bit sooner.  As someone who advises candidates, I applied a certain schedule to various outreach messages.  The advent of early voting might just move up the schedule and/or adjust how the messaging goes out and the content included.

Early voting remains a start but as I noted in an editorial some 39 years ago, more reforms to make voting easier make sense. Instant voter registration when one votes, extending voting hours (early voting represents that to some extent) and making Election Day a national holiday serve as the best examples of reform. Technology exists – think about your on line banking and other secure on line activity you already engage in (driver license renewals) – to move to online voting.

So if you have not already done so early, DO NOT FORGET TO VOTE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5.  Voting Matters!  Please urge your family, friends, and colleagues to vote.