Nov. 4 Isn't the Only Election Day

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Controversy Swirls Over Early Voting

Voters began casting absentee ballots Tuesday to take advantage of a disputed early voting law in the crucial swing state of Ohio.

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"The greatest price you pay is wear and tear on your volunteer base," said Patricia McCaig, a Democratic strategist who has worked for a decade in Oregon. "You aren't working to get out the vote just for those last 72 hours. You are doing it for weeks, and it's hard to sustain energy and enthusiasm."

Experts say they cannot point to a national contest in which early votes determined the outcome, but they say it has figured heavily into a few races.

Four years ago in New Mexico, Kerry booked a sizable pool of absentee voters, catching Republicans off guard and driving them to the last-minute get-out-the-vote effort that allowed them to carry the state.

The risks of early voting, according to some election analysts, include increased potential for fraud and voter error: Outside official polling places, it is easier for voters to obtain multiple ballots or to be improperly influenced in casting their votes, and there is no mechanism to alert them to mistakes on their ballots. It also carries the possibility of buyer's remorse if there are late surprises in the campaign, because in most states, there is no opportunity to take back a ballot once it has been cast.

But early voting has been encouraged by election officials, who see it as a way to reduce long lines and confusion on Election Day.

Officials in Franklin County, Ohio, which includes Columbus, launched a radio and TV campaign to encourage absentee voting after they saw hours-long waits in the March primary, and they have reported a record 117,000 requests for absentee ballots.

Based on the Columbus turnout yesterday, county officials expect between 10,000 and 12,000 early voters.

Court fights, which have turned into a bitter and continuing battle in Ohio, underscore just how important early voting has become, with Republicans challenging decisions by Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

An effort to block the one-stop registration and voting window was rejected by the state Supreme Court on Monday.

In a pending case, Republicans argue that they will lose votes because Brunner has advised local elections boards not to honor absentee ballot requests if voters failed to check a box on the form affirming that they are qualified to vote.

The chance to cast a ballot early appealed to a range of Ohio voters.

When Oberlin College offered to bus students to register and vote, 600 of its 2,800 students were on board.

Obama supporter Joe Staley, a seasoned voter and high school government teacher in Dayton, said he sees early voting as a way to start building enthusiasm for his candidate.

"I wanted to get out there," he said, "and get the momentum going."