<p>How does the early in-person voting work? I saw a photo of Obama showing someone in Illinois his driver’s license so he could vote early. Are there limited hours or centralized places open until election day?</p>
<p>I choose to vote on Election Day rather than early because I want to take my kids to see the process. Takes a little longer (especially since the polling place seems to change every election and I sometimes don’t read the notice carefully enough at first glance!) but my schedule allows it. </p>
<p>I point out the privacy, the volunteers, the lack of armed soldiers or others hovering over my shoulder as I vote, the many candidates beyond just the two big parties, the different types of propositions and amendments on the ballot, the checks and balances the volunteers use to ensure integrity in the process, the variety of people coming in, sometimes the low turnout, the fact that, though many will be disappointed with the outcome, we can confidently anticipate in this country that the transition to new officials will be relatively smooth and peaceful. </p>
<p>We’ve done this often enough that by now they can probably point out most of these things themselves, but with our youngest only eleven years old, I plan to keep it up for several more years. Now our oldest is posting tips on the process on her Facebook page for her fellow first time voters. The only thing missing is patriotic music. I think I’ll go load “the Stars and Stripes Forever” on my iPod. :)</p>
<p>I kind of like the whole voting process. I live in a small town and usually waiting in line entails small talk and visiting. I like going into the voting booth and I like the sticker that says, “I voted”. I am very disappointed when I hear of people not voting with the excuse that they don’t know enough about the candidates. Our job as citizens is to educate ourselves so we can vote for the candidate that best represents our beliefs.</p>
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<p>Centralizied places here in Ohio</p>
<p>I voted today. Took almost 2 hours. But I am very glad I did.</p>
<p>I wish so much that I could vote early. I’d much rather go out on a day that I don’t have classes.</p>
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<p>It varies from state to state so I can only address what happens in Maryland. There are early voting locations in each county. The hours are from 10 am to 8 pm Mon through Sat and noon to 6 pm on Sunday. They are set up just like election day so the experience is the same.</p>
<p>I voted in the last presidental election at the voting booth, my first election, and it wasn’t too bad. I believe I went around 7pm and didn’t stand in line at all, I was in and out. I’ve had to vote absentee since then and would probably never go to the booth again if I didn’t have to, it was pretty painless when I did but it’s still inconvenient to make time to go.</p>
<p>I would never NOT vote, though, even if it is inconvenient.</p>
<p>I sent in my ballot last week sometime, so I am off the hook for this year! 
I’ve been following these candidates for years, I don’t really think I need the extra few weeks to make an educated decision. I am not someone that just started paying attention when the official campaigns started.</p>
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<p>In Texas - General Election: During a General Election the period for early voting by personal appearance begins on the 17th day before Election Day and continues through the fourth day before Election Day, except as otherwise provided.</p>
<p>There were three early voting locations in my county. Early voting runs from 8 a.m.4:30 p.m. from Oct. 2226; 7 a.m.7 p.m. Oct. 27; 1 p.m.6 p.m. Oct. 28; 7 a.m.7 p.m. Oct. 29Nov. 2. I showed my voter registration card. The person next to me showed her driver’s license.</p>
<p>Tidbit of info: More than 47,000 ___ County residents chose to cast their vote Oct. 22, setting a new record on the first day of early voting.</p>
<p>Another vote for Election Day. I just love the community aspect of it all. I would take my kids with me when they were little, and we’d all get “I Voted” stickers. I’m excited that ds1 already has cast his absentee ballot in his first presidential election from his study-abroad program in New Zealand.</p>
<p>The Cook County Clerk’s office (Chicago inner suburbs) reported as of a few minutes ago over 72,000 votes have been already been cast since early voting started on Monday - this doesn’t even include early voting within the city limits of Chicago which is administered by the Chicago Board of Elections. </p>
<p>In suburban Cook County it is very convenient to use early voting. There are 43 early voting locations throughout the suburbs as well as at the county building in downtown Chicago. Registered voters can vote at any of the locations since the electronic voting machines can store all of the ballots within the county. All locations are open 9-5 Monday - Saturday from October 22 until November 3. Six of the suburban locations and the downtown Chicago location will be open 9-3 this Sunday.</p>
<p>DW and I will be voting tomorrow. Our DD, who just turned 18 in September insists on waiting until election day. We switched to early voting after being caught behind an elderly couple (who were both half blind and deaf) trying to vote when the polls opened at 6:00 am when all the commuters were trying to vote. They brought the process to a halt for about 15 minutes since all the judges had to help them - while about 60 people trying to catch a train to work fumed! Its great they want to vote in person - just go during the mid day when there are very few people in a hurry.</p>
<p>In Illinois, if you want to early vote, you must show government issued ID. If you vote on election day in person, you are not required to show ID. The whole thing with President Obama showing his DL was to fulfill state law. Even if the early voting judge personally knows you, ID is required. My understanding is that if you vote early, you will not be “in the binder” at the precinct on election day. By showing ID, it should be very hard for someone to assume your identity to vote and thereby disenfranchise you.</p>
<p>Got to the polling place at ~9:20. Cast my ballot at 11:30. The lines were no shorter when I left.
The couple in front of me said they had come yesterday and the lines were just as long, but they had to be somewhere else so came back today.</p>
<p>I dropped off literature at my polling place this morning and the lines were around the building. People are voting early here to avoid the storm - amazing sight.</p>
<p>I wish PA had early voting. I am an election worker (not elderly yet!) and it would make my life a lot easier if we had to process fewer voters on Nov 6. The lines can get long; we have 4 touch screen machines for our district. Although reading some of the accounts above, it doesn’t seem more convenient if you have to wait 2 hours to vote early?</p>
<p>The reason the lines in Maryland are so long is because of the impending storm. Folks are anticipating that Monday, Tuesday and maybe Wednesday will be a mess. If you believe the news reports, we won’t have power back until 2013 so lots and lots of people are voting early. That’s what the people in line told me anyway.</p>
<p>DH & I early voted this week. Total turnaround time from entering the parking lot was 5 minutes. D1 send in her absentee ballot a few weeks ago. I always used to vote on Election Day, but now that I"m working full time I was happy to have the opportunity to take care of it on a day off.</p>
<p>Polling places in Indiana have been opened for quite some time already. I will probably wait until election day, if only because it will be easier to just vote before I stand outside the polling place volunteering with a sign in my hand for one of our candidates. We have had good turnout so far. </p>
<p>When I lived in CA I always opted for absentee ballots. It was nice to get the ballot early, vote, then feel free to ignore all the really nasty campaign material that comes in the last couple of weeks of any election. I would love our state to go to mail-in balloting. I imagine that it would save a great deal of money. Our poll workers seem to have a median age of 80, so it worries me that there will be no volunteers when the Greatest Generation is gone.</p>
<p>MizzBee,</p>
<p>This was was first Saturday the nearest one to me had Saturday voting. I think we live in the same county. I volunteer on Tuesday and Thursday evenings tutoring, and our entire group said we would vote early so as to meet on election night.</p>
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<p>Do you have better turnout, 70-90%?</p>
<p>If Indiana is like Oregon, then no poll workers are needed.</p>
<p>Early voting is so nice for those who have to work. I could do early, but want to do the old tranditional way before it’s gone.</p>
<p>gloworm, I am pretty sure we are in the same county as well. I know several people that voted at the government center earlier this month. It is a bit of a drive, but convenient. </p>
<p>Indiana is currently not considering mail-in ballot-just a wish.</p>