>>>It's an increasing trend here. An estimated 1/3 of the votes in this presidential election will be cast early. Personally I like the hubbub of the polling place on election day,
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>>Me, too. I think Election Day is exciting. When I go vote, I always end up hanging around my polling place for a while.
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>>OTOH, early voting certainly makes it easier to vote, and given that we have fairly restricted voting hours (7 AM to 8 PM in PA), it makes it possible for more to vote. Of course, we don't have early voting here in Pennsylvania, and to vote absentee, you have to swear that either you'll be out of your district on election day, have a medical reason, or be over 65. (I did hear from Nathaniel that he'd received, filled out and returned his ballot. The kid has never gotten to vote in person yet.)
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>>Tamar
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>Judging by the lines in early voting (I waited just over an hour to get in), I suspect it may be a full day for you on the 4th :o) It is a good sign. It is a relief that people who never bothered to vote before are making an effort to do so now. I can't wait to see the numbers (% of the population that voted) this election in comparison to previous elections.

I don't think it'll be an issue here. I vote in a district that always has high turnout, so the number of machines is reasonably high (4 for about 1200 registered voters, IIRC). I'll plan to go mid-morning after the before work rush (though that'll be tricky given that I'll be spending the day on "get out the vote.") In 2004, I waited about 15 minutes to vote; that was the longest line I've ever had here.

Tamar