Last Call

Matt Lewis at the Daily Caller unleashes an asinine attack on early voting, calling it a bad idea that America needs to get rid of.  He gives a number of "reasons", none of which actually hold up.

1. It doesn’t work. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin demonstrated that early voting can actually depress turnout.

Surprise, a McMegan article, where she comes to the same conclusion.  The study supposedly found that all things being equal, early voting depressed turnout by 2-3 percentage points.  But there's at least one big caveat in their model:

With one big exception: our model forecast that early voters had profiles that made them two percentage points more likely to vote than Election Day voters, whether there was an early option or not. Early voters were more educated and older and had higher incomes, all traits associated with a higher probability of voting. A probability difference of 2 percentage points may seem like a trivial figure, but when applied to populations of millions, it can shift national and state elections.

Early voting tends to happen in more affluent precincts as a rule.  What Republicans oppose is early voting in urban precincts with lots of minority voters.  Only then it becomes a problem. Moving on:

2. Voters are casting ballots before they have all the information.

Coming from a site like the Daily Caller, that's a bit like Lex Luthor complaining Superman not wearing a safety belt for his back when he's lifting a battleship sets a bad example for the kids.  Considering the site exists to highlight GOP propaganda, the claim ring awfully hollow.  Unless Lewis is calling for more Jim Crow era poll tests to assess if voters are informed enough, which I don't believe he is.  Besides, under this logic, absentee ballots for our soldiers should immediately be outlawed as well, yes?

3. The cost — both to the taxpayer and the campaigns. In my home state of Maryland (where early voting is still relatively new), it cost taxpayers $2.6 million, without increasing turnout.

Again this is another odd argument.  Lewis has a problem with measures that decrease voter turnout but cost taxpayers money.

You mean, like voter ID laws, Matt?

Funny how Republicans don't seem to mind the cost to taxpayers when it comes to issuing IDs.  No expense should be spared to protect ballot integrity! And speaking of that...

4. Ballot integrity. Unlike early voting, absentee voting is typically done by mail, which opens the door for voter fraud, spouses who are members of opposing parties “losing” ballots, etc. It happens.

It happens that "It happens" is all Matt has to offer on the subject.  No links, no citations, no studies, no cases, and certainly no articles that voter ID laws Republicans are pushing don't actually protect ballot integrity or prevent in-person voter fraud.  Same logic goes for outlawing absentee ballots as I said before.  Pretty simple to verify the information, yes?

But the last reason is the most inane:

5. Community. Early voting may be more convenient, but having done both, I can tell you there is something about voting on Election Day that feels special. There is something patriotic and communitarian about it. And I think we lose something when we don’t do it together.

Spare me.  Nostalgia and feelings are an unacceptable reason to legislate.  If it means that much to you, make Election Day a national holiday so that all Americans can join in.  Which would increase turnout.  Oh, but we can't for "reasons" so shut it.

Lewis is as transparent a concern troll as he is an ignorant one.  What a shocker for a Daily Caller scribe, I know.  In the end, reducing the vote to only those who can afford to take the day off to vote is all that matters to these guys.