In North Carolina, early voting at polling places starts Oct. 18. Michael Pisapia, assistant professor of politics and international affairs at Wake Forest, can explain the benefits of early voting and talk about what it may mean if early voters turn out in large or small numbers.
“In a country with no national holiday for Election Day, early voting is a reasonable way to accommodate the busy lives of American voters,” he says. “In addition to permitting absentee ballots, 32 states allow registered voters to cast votes early at a polling place. Early voting laws are good for American democracy: they widen our opportunity to exercise a fundamental right, and they secure that right against bad timing. When work or family ends up occupying us for the 10 hours that polls are open on Election Day, early voting laws have our backs.”
Who is most likely to vote early? Those who have the strongest convictions about candidates, he says.
Do early voting periods lead to significant increases in voter fraud? No
Pisapia teaches “American Government and Politics,” “Political Participation” and “Gender and Politics.”
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About Wake Forest University: Wake Forest University combines the best traditions of a small liberal arts college with the resources of a large research university. Founded in 1834, the school is located in Winston-Salem, N.C. The University’s graduate school of arts and sciences, divinity school, and nationally ranked schools of law, medicine and business enrich our intellectual environment. Learn more about Wake Forest University at www.wfu.edu.
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