11 Reasons To Vote Early In 2020

Voting on Election Day is so 2016. Early voting in NYC begins Oct. 24 and runs through Nov. 1. Visit voting.nyc for all the details.

1. Waiting in line is the worst.

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If a city of 8.3 million people all try to vote on the same day, what happens? Long lines, that's what. If you don't like waiting in long lines (and let's be honest: who does?) you should be voting early when the lines are probably going to be shorter.

2. This year's voter turnout is predicted to be an enormous, once-in-a-century turnout.

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Michael McDonald, director of the US Elections Project, says, "I expect voter turnout to be exceptional, perhaps the highest in over a century, since 1908." Do you really want to stand in the longest lines since 1908? If not, vote early.

3. Voting early makes lines shorter for people who have to vote on Election Day.

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According to the Washington Post, early voting can alleviate wait times for people who have to vote on Election Day. Conversely, when states like Ohio and Florida cut early voting back, it led to longer wait times. So when you choose to vote early, you're helping to shorten the line for your neighbors who have to vote on Election Day.

4. You've got an absentee ballot, but you don't have stamps.

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You've got to put stamps on your absentee ballot in New York. Notice that we said stamps, plural. Gothamist notes that it's a good idea to put two 55 cent forever stamps on any mail-in ballot.

Don't have those stamps? Not a problem! Just drop your ballot off at any polling site.

5. You have a mail-in ballot, but you're worried about the mail this year.

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If you're worried about your ballot being delayed because so many people are voting by mail this year, don't worry! You can still choose to vote in person if you requested an absentee ballot. You don’t even need to bring your mail-in ballot with you.

If you do plan to mail your ballot, make sure it’s postmarked by Nov. 3. But you should really just send it now, TBH.

6. Voting on Election Day means crowds, and we're not doing crowds right now because of the coronavirus.

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For truly perfect social distancing, voting by mail is probably the way to go. But if you're reading this right now and either of the last two items on this list apply to you, then that ship might have sailed.

The biggest crowds, though, are probably going to be on Election Day itself. The CDC encourages early voting, "where voter crowds may be smaller throughout the day." So do your part to stop the spread and vote early.

7. You really don't want to worry about going to work and voting on the same day.

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The state of New York offers up to two hours of paid time off to go vote. That's good! But quickly imagine your most stressful workday. You know, the day where you don't even feel like you have time to eat. Do you really want to take off time during that already stressful day to go stand in line for up to two hours? Don't put yourself through this. Find a convenient time to vote early that works with your work schedule.

8. Planning to vote early stops life's little mishaps from stopping your vote.

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Stuff just happens. The subway breaks down. Your kid gets sick. You can't find your keys. Heck, 2.6% of nonvoters just straight-up forgot to vote in the 2008 election. If you wait until Nov. 3 to vote, any little thing could screw up your plan and keep you from making your voice heard. If you plan to vote early, you're giving yourself a little leeway in case anything goes wrong on any particular day.

9. Voting early can help your candidate of choice, too.

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According to Paste, the sooner you vote, "the sooner your campaign’s hard-working organizers can stop worrying about following up with you to encourage you to go to the polls. Voting early is like making a small in-kind donation to your favorite candidate; instead of making them wonder if you’re going to show up on Election Day, your vote is already in the can."

10. Early votes get counted earlier than mail-in votes.

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If you vote early in person, your vote will be counted and tallied on Election Day. If you vote by mail, New York law says mail-in votes can't be counted until after polls close on Election Day. That means it could take up to several weeks for the Board of Elections to process and count your ballot. So if you want your vote to be counted a bit faster, vote early!

11. Think of voting early as a civic duty.

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Sure, it's more convenient, but voting early helps your state and your country, too.

Remember that massive voter turnout we talked about earlier? Well, the Brookings Institute notes that "the Constitution gives states the leading role in administering elections. If they do not make adequate preparations for counting — promptly and accurately — what could turn out to be 60 million mail-in ballots, the ensuing controversy may well rock our democracy to its foundations."

You can help the state and the city of New York keep the election orderly by getting your vote in early.

Early voting in New York City runs from Oct. 24 through Nov. 1. Get out there and make your voice heard early. Visit voting.nyc for all the details.