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SCOTT DREYER: Reasons To Vote Early

Recently I’ve had the pleasure of doing some door-knocking in both Roanoke County and City. The main candidate I do this for is President Trump, for his policies / platform – not for his personality. As a Millennial recently explained, “We’re not voting for Prom King or Queen.” In this election the issue is issues, as clearly explained here. Elon Musk has gone so far as to claim our national survival and basic liberties are on the line this election.

One consistent theme I’ve encountered while going door to door relates to early voting. Many have said “I’m voting for President Trump” and “I’m voting on Election Day.”

That’s when I show them the flyer where Pres. Trump encourages all his supporters to vote before Nov. 5. Like it or not, in Virginia now, “Election Day” has become “Election Season.” Or to put it another way: don’t look at Nov. 5 as Election Day. Instead, see it as the last day possible to vote.

I also explain, whether you like the new early voting laws or not, we need to adjust ourselves to the new reality and play by the rules as they are, not as we wish they would be.

Once I point out that both Trump and Governor Youngkin urge their supporters to vote now, most change their mind and tell me they will.

(One exception was a young woman who told me, “I always take my 97-year-old grandpa to vote, and he insists on voting on Election Day. He won’t do this early voting stuff. You can’t imagine how stubborn old Appalachians are!”)

At that point, many ask: Why do they want me to vote early?

I give them several reasons, usually the top three or four.

  • Of course thanks to the secret ballot, no one knows how you vote. But, because local registrars upload their revised data to Richmond regularly and since voting participation are public records, both parties know that you voted. Once the parties know you have voted, they will take your name off their active list and focus their attention on those who have not yet. You’ll then stop getting mailers, texts etc. that clutter your mailbox. Plus, your party will save resources so they can more-effectively seek those who haven’t gone to the polls yet.
  • As we’ve seen after Hurricane Helene, sometimes natural disasters can strike with little warning. Plus, life happens: you might plan to vote on Election Day but you or a loved one suddenly fall ill, or have car trouble, or get held up at work or traffic, or the dog vomits on your shoes, etc. If you vote early, it’s done and you can put it out of your mind.
  • Early voting is as secure as Election Day voting; you have the same paper ballot, and you insert it in the machine by hand. (I personally do have reservations about voting by mail. Recently I was speaking with a volunteer who was giving out Democrat voter guides at an early voting station. He told me voting by mail was perfectly safe, and I asked him, “Let’s say I owed you $100. Would you feel comfortable if I mailed you a $100 bill in an envelope and hoped for the best you’d get it?” When he appeared to balk, I asked him, “If you’re reluctant to have me mail you a $100 bill, why would you entrust your precious vote to the USPS, when your vote should be priceless?” He didn’t have much of a response.) In my door-knocking, I don’t recall anyone saying they planned to vote by mail.
  • Gov. Youngkin, a skilled athlete, uses this sports metaphor. “Imagine you’ve got two minutes left in a game. You want your team to be up by 5, not down by 5.” Strong early voting puts your candidate in a position of strength.
  • Early voting patterns send messages to national parties and PACs.  Areas have patterns. For example, Roanoke County chose Youngkin over Democrat Terry McAuliffe by about 2 to 1 in 2021. So, robust early numbers in GOP-heavy areas, or mediocre turnout in blue areas, may signal Virginia is “in play” and could trigger national resources to help Trump or his endorsed-candidate Hung Cao for Senate.
  • Voting has a “contagion effect.” Once you vote, you’re more likely to tell others you already have and urge them to cast their ballot.
  • This last reason I didn’t mention much, but we probably all agree this is an unprecedented campaign. There have been two attempts on Pres. Trump’s life, and the attack in Butler, PA killed a retired firefighter Corey Comperatore and injured two attendees and Trump. Even now, many questions remain unanswered and most media seldom mention these attacks, which is itself a question. Plus, the sitting President, Biden, after he won all the spring primaries and got over 14 million Democrat votes, was thrown under the bus by Party Bosses who then hand-installed Kamala Harris who never won a single primary. With all this weirdness, many feel something else nefarious may happen, but once you vote early, you’ve done your part.

And remember, if you chose not to vote, that’s still a kind of vote…a vote for apathy. Plus, you’re choosing to mute yourself and let others speak for you.

What are you waiting for?

Early voting in our region:

Roanoke City: 317 Kimball Avenue, M-F, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Roanoke County: 900 Chestnut Street, Vinton;

Brambleton Center, 3738 Brambleton Ave. M-F,  8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Salem: 19 East Clay Street, M-F, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Outlying Counties: Check with your Registrar.

–Scott Dreyer

Scott Dreyer at Bryce Canyon
Scott Dreyer M.A. of Roanoke has been a licensed teacher since 1987 and now leads a team of educators teaching English and ESL to a global audience. Photo at Utah’s iconic Bryce Canyon. Learn more at DreyerCoaching.com.

 

 

 

 

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