My father had voted absentee in Michigan, but was able to go in to city hall yesterday, rescind his vote, a vote over again!
21
Voted today and even lost my ballot. Called King Co. and they offer an online search for my ballot which I fill out, print out and drop off.
I get what you are saying about voting late. Totally worth it. I ran field canvas of volunteers with Steve Zemke to get signatures for the WA Presidential Primary Initiative in 1988-89. The original purpose was to stop right wingers from abusing the caucuses.
This is the first year the results matter, and caucuses abandoned. So what if it took 20 years.
So I'm tickled so many people voted in this election. It really does help having a green blue state that pays for mail in ballots when it comes to turn out.
And we are going to have a landslide in November. I can even see the crime syndicate boss and his family behind bars.
18
Do away with early voting once and for all.
16
Every general election year also includes an extra day — February 29th - Leap Year Day, why is the General Election Day not a holiday given that we have an extra day every four years?
14
Don’t feel bad - I voted for Bloomberg and look how that went. “He coulda been a contender...” except he’s even worse than Biden at actual speaking and has gross habits like licking his fingers and putting his saliva over everything. During this viral outbreak no less! My daughter as a 4-year-old was cleaner!! Sigh.... now we just have to hope Biden can save us. I think reading from a teleprompter and only prepared speeches are the way to go for him, unless it’s small gatherings, in which I hear he’s quite warm and personable
8
Ding, ding, ding. Welcome to why Pete dropping out after allowing two more days for people to have marked him down in early voting have basically been robbed by their vote. Some, a few, if they saw him drop out on Super Tuesday would have chosen someone else. So there is something to this gripe.
9
"I wasted my vote."
"Me too."
10
Eh, I also voted by mail for a candidate no longer running, but I don't think I wasted my vote. Besides, unlike this columnist, I knew I would be happy with whoever my fellow Democratic primary voters selected.
17
I'm a Democrat in a Republican state. My vote hasn't mattered in 15 years. I guess I'm just used to voting as a duty or a symbolic effort. It means something different that way. My one little shout into the void, tallied up and then discarded.
Sometimes you have to do what's right even if it's pointless. You do it because it's right. And if we ever want to see real change in America more people have to do that.
42
I will vote for Mr Biden in November, but I am thankful, because of early voting, that I was able to cast my primary ballot for Senator Warren, hoping against all logic that she would prevail and be the nominee. It was a good day.
41
I did the same thing. I regret not waiting.
7
I voted for Elizabeth Warren in last week’s CA primary, knowing full well she probably wasn’t going to win my state and was probably going to drop out of the race soon thereafter.
I did not waste my vote.
I voted for the person I wanted to become President, because that is what a primary is for. By voting for Warren, I let the eventual nominee that I expect them to be held to a certain standard. That while I understand that person will be the moderate, they still need to be partially open to the more progressive movement within our party.
I did not waste my vote, and neither did you. So buck up, and let’s work together to get 45* out of office in November.
73
The casting of a vote is not just about picking a winner, it is about supporting what you believe in. your vote had an impact because you cast it for what you wanted not for what was available. I think the temper of your article should be reversed and if it was it may inspire more people to vote. No matter what your vote has power and it will shape the outcome. Your vote is data and we know how much that is worth.
30
If only we could have ranked choice early voting, perhaps everyone, even early voters, would have their votes matter.
9
Me Egan:
It might be well worth it in the future to check with your local election officials. In Michigan, a voter can request that their early ballot be ”spoiled” so that they may re-vote. This can be done up to the day before the election.
6
Keith Colonnade,
I agree, I was a judge during the Election Day Primary in my district here in Carolina, we have paper ballots that are fed into a tallying machine and the vote count is reconciled every 1/2 hour for accuracy during the course of the day; our voters know that we take Election Day seriously, and we let them see what number they register when they enter their ballot; they know exactly how many people have voted before they leave the polling stations.
Let the people vote on the same day; early voting may be appropriate for the general election, providing neither of the candidates dies before Election Day, which is approaching a real possibility now that we have candidates who are past their best cognitive and physical best days.
3
I love early voting due to convenience. And now in Harris County, we can vote at any polling place. Finally! But Harris County is a fine example of why NOT to wait until election day: my early vote took single-digit minutes, while my fellow citizens on election day waited five hours / more in some cases.
I don't know that I would be willing to wait hours in every primary necessarily, but I would stand in line all day and night to vote in November 2020.
17
Thanks for a great opinion piece. I'm in the same position here in Washington, having voted for a candidate I was excited about, only to be disappointed when said person dropped out. My only consolation is November 2020. Rise up, Americans! Vote blue no matter who!
16
Not just early voting. The fact that states vote on different dates has the same effect. Even if there was no intra-state early voting, the result of the vote in an Iowa or a South Carolina affects the result of the vote in another state voting two weeks later. All primaries should be held on the same day in all states. This will ensure that the votes reflect the honest will of the voters. Whoever emerges as the winner the next day is the nominee, or if there is no outright winner it goes to the convention as it does now. Or, perhaps instead of a brokered convention, there could be a runoff vote between the top two vote getters a month later?
8
In a local election several years ago, I told my neighbor who was standing with me in the voting line, that I was going to write in a name, and not vote for one of the candidates on the ballot.
She shouted at me that I was wasting my ballot. I told her I didn't think that was the case, so she shouted a bit louder.
Yes, people were looking at us, I went behind the curtain, voted, and naturally, my candidate lost. I didn't then, nor do I now, think I wasted a vote.
4
Yup, me too, Mr. Egan, fellow Washingtonian here. Seduced by free postage and 'getting it off my desk'. Won't catch me doing that again!
5
I've complained about this early voting nonsense for years. Along with being a ripe target for fraud, examples like this are all too correct. Mr. Egan's vote was made irrelevant. We should go back to paper ballots only and only votes made on election day count.
4
I live in New Jersey and I have no say whatsoever in selecting a nominee for my party. For some unfathomable reason, it has been determined that New Jersey voters can only cast a primary vote long after the nominee has (usually) been decided. Maybe it is time to have all of the primaries bunched close enough together so that Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have a fair say, but not the only say, in the election process. This and the Electoral College (the only institution that may be as corrupt as Trump University) certainly confound the concept of "One person-One vote".
12
Early voting in a Primary is just plain wasteful; we need a fair primary where all the states vote at the same time; no one voting block should have primacy over other citizens in deciding who should be the choice for the Presidency; every vote should count; I for one, do not want 4states, Iowa, NH, Nevada and SC to choose our candidates.
Let every vote count at the same time; restructure the Primaries as well as the delegates requirements so that the person with the most votes on the Primary date is the candidate for Election Day; it’s not that complicated.
6
I'm from Arizona and I voted early, my vote was trashed!
I'm a Washingtonian. It didn't take to much thought to refrain from voting until seeing who was left standing after Super Tuesday. Strategic thinking, my friend.
12
My state also has all mail ballots, however, I waited until things shook out in other states, such as South Carolina, before filling out my ballot and then put it in a drop box, rather than the mail.
I work as an election judge in my county and it was apparent that many others waited until the last days, as I did, because the Democratic primary was heavily skewed toward late voting, in contrast to the Republican primary. We also had people bring in their sealed ballots to surrender them and vote in person because the candidate that they had voted for was out of the race. We were happy to accommodate them.
With the race in a state of flux, I was surprised that so many would vote early.
3
I did wonder about the ability to change an early WA ballot once cast. I think CA allows this - saw a tweet about a guy who stood in line for 7 (?) hrs to change his ballot.
I think it’s another of those state-by-state differences. If a state allows early voting it should take this situation into account.
3
@The Widster
Not allowed to change an early ballot in WA... so this time out, it's 'so sad, too bad' (and I'm one that would have voted differently if I had a crystal ball at hand to predict the last 2 weeks' events!)
1
Thankful that my early vote was for Biden. California was always so late in the game so for once my vote actually mattered, but I did wait until after S. Carolina before I sent it in.
2
"A friend of mine says you should always wait until the very last minute to vote because, as he quoted the mother of Mario Cuomo, the former New York governor, “Between now and then, a pope will be born.”
I still don't get it?
Anyway -You r vote is not wasted -It's in the data cloud:
Where analysts will ponder the voting data -Slicing and dicing and using it to make future projections based on who voted for who - and when -who you are - what you do - how you think and act under certain conditions and time constraints -and even factor in the weather and what you ate for a pre vote meal.
And based on all that statistical data folded into the current cultural landscape they will make a prediction about who will win your state in 2020 aand beyond.
And they will be wrong!
2
Que sera, sera. Yeah, voting for a non-candidate is an issue, but the bigger issue to me is how all these Democratic primaries are so front-loaded to Red States where who cares what Democrats will win - it will not make any difference in the general election. The American people are tricked and cheated in every possible way in order to sustain this corrupt status quo, and I hope we are waking up, and I also hope we are getting tired of it enough to do something about it.
7
Mr. Egan - I too live in Washington. I too voted for a candidate who has since dropped out. My vote counts even so. And I wouldn't have changed a thing.
1
Better to wait. I finished my mail-in ballot two days before the election. I had been thinking of Bloomberg or Warren, but decided on Biden last minute. I think many people did.
6
Yay! Another pundit who doesn't understand that their candidate going into the convention with delegates can help bend the platform to their liking.
Zero influence? You don't know nothing. In 1992 I voted in the NYS primary for Paul Tsongas even though he had already dropped out. Bill Clinton was running for the nomination with a poorly thought-out plan for a "middle class tax cut" which Tsongas opposed. After Clinton won the nomination and the party platform was built, there was no mention of such a thing.
The ONLY way our votes matter is to bend the party. That's why I'll vote for Warren in April. If you don't get this you shouldn't be published.
3
Yeah, Tim.
And You're Supposed To Be So Smart.
Thanks for sharing.
4
Same boat for me and my wife also here in Washington State. Would a National Primary Election Day be a better alternative than this silly, drawn-out campaign dragging candidates from State to State spending far money than necessary?
3
You didn't waste your vote, you weren't "disenfranchised", you just voted for a losing candidate. Get over it.
4
Hawaii's primary election is in August! By that time, the candidates have been decided -- by others. My favorite candidates have already dropped out, though I'll vote blue no matter who.
I think this staggered primary season is ridiculously unfair, as is the electoral college. We need change. The nation that is known for freedom and justice feels like a bastion of inequity right now. A mere sense of relief is welcome, better than the rage I'll feel if Trump is re-elected.
4
Why do people ever vote early? What overcomes the desire to be as fully
Informed as possible, and to be able to have your vote take into account events up through Election Day?
4
I also vote in Washington, but waited to drop off my ballot until the results of Super Tuesday were in, so as not to "waste" my vote.
1
This is the best case for ranked choice voting that you can make. Cast your ballot for your favorite candidates, first to last, and your vote will always count.
7
In Colorado, we have vote by mail. But since I was changing my mind almost daily, I waited until the very end to vote. At church, he Sunday before election I talked with fellow congregants during coffee hour and the consensus was to wait until Election Day. One friend jokes he was wanted to make sure his chosen candidate didn’t die of a heart attack before Election Day.
Tim. I love your columns, but take issue with a recent one where you mentioned John hickenlooper would beat Cory Gardner for u.s. senate. Actually, Andrew Romanoff trounced hickenlooper in the caucus. (55% to 31%). On to the primary in June. You need to stop taking guidance of Schumer and the DSCC. People here in Colorado know who is the real deal.
1
Bernie is acting like a petulant child as are many of his core supporters. I hope the voters today see that and say "No!" to non-Democratic version of Trump.
8
Timothy Egan doesn't understand the word "disenfranchised." He voted and his vote was tallied. That is the opposite of "disenfranchised." I hope some old black lady from Alabama or Mississippi will explain to Timothy Egan what the word "disenfranchised" actually means! I am a California vote by mail person as well - and I sat on my ballot until the day before Super Tuesday for PRECISELY this reason. It doesn't take a genius to know that candidates in early primaries often drop out. Egan acted foolishly and foolish actions often have negative consequences.
4
Ranked choice.
There’s no democracy without it.
Write to your party and demand it.
2
Voting is like a lot of things in life...it’s about showing up.
4
your candidate dropped out before super tuesday when they had no valid reason to... therefore be upset with the candidate who viewed your vote as meaningless and worthless. the folks that dropped out pretty much the the night before super tuesday knew a lot of their supporters already voted, they did not care, and by the look of it, dropping out to tilt the scale to a moderate's favor indicates they do not care one whiff about having an honest process. though come to think of it, since you urged them to drop out, presumably to 'clear the field' neither do you apparently.
4
If you'd really like your vote for president to count, let's ditch the electoral college.
5
Here in Ohio... we vote March 17th. I filled out my form... but didn't return it..Planning to do that one or two or three days before voting day. Now I have the ability... in person mind you - request another ballot, and this one in my hands will be voided. I'll do that probalby Friday. Bottom line is BLUE NO MATTER WHO on Nov 3. Meanwhile, I am sad Buttigieg is out and hoping Biden picks Pete. 12 years it will take to undo this orange mess
6
Sorry to hear about this, Timothy, but is anyone supposed to feel sorry for you because you voted too early for your vote to count? You should have known better, especially if you were going to write a NYT column about it.
6
I agree. Bad mistake on my part.
Stop whining. You can still vote out Trump in November. That is all that matters. And if you feel tired of the liberal enclaves of the coasts, go canvass door-to-door in the inner cities of Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee.
You don’t like the rules? Too late. This never was a fair democracy. Time to play to win and quit crying.
Vote out GOP.
1
I’m a little surprised - I waited until today to mail mine (also because it was a tough choice both early and later) but didn’t folks anticipate this possibility?
@Chris M.
Here's a hot news flash for you about how Washington state does national elections:
"For the first time in state history, both parties will be using primary results for delegate allocation at their national conventions this summer".
Read more here: https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/politics-government/election/article239641443.html#storylink=cpy
….so no, this is new territory for WA voters, and no, I can't say this isn't my first rodeo - because it is. Live and learn, and lighten up on those of us, like the author (and me), who will now know to hold our fire in primaries.... next time.
1
I can feel the disappointment. But voting early will always entail an informational disadvantage. An option to rank candidates does not remedy that. Up until voting day, there is always a chance that new events will make one want to change the vote. In my country, early voting is possible, but I would never do it unless I am physically prevented from casting a vote on voting day. So I would always wait until the last moment.
3
There are a lot of problems described in this article. One is the fact that Mr. Egan's chosen candidate vanished between him casting his vote and that vote actually being counted. This is a sign that our primary system is completely broken: four extremely non-representative states shouldn't have this much power over the nomination process. The obvious solution is for the whole country to have primaries on the same day, and take states out of it. This would also fix the problem that voters in many states just plain don't matter, because the nomination is decided long before they get their say.
Another problem is that fact that Mr. Egan couldn't (automatically or otherwise) shift his vote to a candidate still in the race. Ranked choice voting is the real answer here, but an ability for him to void his earlier ballot and cast a new one is the least Washington could do.
Getting rid of early voting is not the answer, at least not before getting rid of the structural problem that early voting does, in fact, address: the fact that plenty of people simply can't take hours off on a weekday to wait in line to cast their votes, or in many cases can't get to a polling station at all because they have no car and all of their local polling stations have been closed by voter suppression. Until that's resolved, early voting is necessary.
3
It's hard to believe there isn't something very undemocratic about the need to have primaries on different days over a relatively long period. Why can't they all be held on the same day, like the general election?
7
I voted early absentee also, and my candidate later dropped out. I was able to “Spoil” my ballot, and obtain a new ballot and vote again, in time to count in the primary. It can be done, so your vote need not be wasted. Check the rules with your Secretary of State.
2
The solution is simple: ranked choice voting.
4
My vote didn’t “count,” either, by I’m not too worried. On Super Tuesday night I got to see that Mayor Pete took in a good vote haul in Cali, and I was one of those votes.
I’m proud to have voted for him and I hope that his vote haul in 2020 helps him raise money and volunteers the next time he runs for president. The diversity of candidates on the Dem side was amazing.
But, next time I will wait to the last minute to drop off my ballot.
5
Early in a primary race, like before Super Tuesday, obviously a lot of people are going to drop out. It's only common sense to wait a bit and see who the contenders are closer to election day. That's true even if your first choice candidate doesn't drop out - the race might be out of reach for him or her at that point and you'd want to use your vote elsewhere. In other elections that is, ones that aren't party primaries, it's a lot less likely the landscape will change much in the weeks before the election. Articles don't really need to be written about such obvious things.
At least you got to vote. It's always a done deal by the time the primary comes to my state.
3
The ballot was full of people who had already dropped out, so it was obvious to me that I'd better wait for the fall-out from Super Tuesday to see who was still in the running before I voted. I'd be interested in knowing why Mr. Egan and so many others voted before they had this information. From social media, I find some of my friends who voted early for someone no longer in the running posting that they are still happy with their vote. I don't understand that. For me, the prime directive is to win in November. Period. Full stop.
3
I filled in my ballot early but held onto it for just this reason. With such a wide field who knew what was going to happen? When my candidate of choice dropped out, I made the vote change to the remaining candidate of choice and put the ballot in the neighborhood vote collection box this morning.
5
Another reason Ranked Choice voting should be enabled. Some jurisdictions provide many ranked options - c'mon Washington, we can do this.
2
I vote by mail. I fill it out the day of the election and either drop it in the mail or one of my county's drop off points.
2
Yep, happened to me too. Thanks for your comments and reminder not to do that again! I would be a big fan of ranked choice.
3
I waited until the Friday before “Super” Tuesday to mail in my ballot in California because I was so torn. With Pete and Amy being my favorites for quite some time I ultimately voted for Biden, going with my gut and who I thought had the best chance of beating trump. Many others, including my sister, voted early and as Tuesday approached and the landscape started to change, she regretted doing so wishing she had voted for Biden, feeling like her vote had been thrown away.
3
The problem can be easily fixed by insuring that any mail in vote with an election day postmark is counted. Wait until election day, mark your ballot, drive to the PO - you're done and your vote counts!
Now, the TV Networks are going to have a fit, election night will become just as important as April 15 for the media. But wants wants to listen to Lester Holt and Chuck Todd (no offense gentlemen you just make a good example) talking political minutia until "glory be, Wyoming just closed their polls and we'll have the results from that all important state, right after this commercial.
Like this author, I voted before the South Carolina, in early voting for my state, in my case Texas. Our election day in Texas was Tuesday, March 3, South Carolina was the previous Saturday, and I voted on Thursday, two days before SC and five days before Texas.
I was almost waiting, till after South Carolina. I was pulling for Amy Klobuchar, with the idea my second choice was Buttigieg, and my third, Biden. I finally decided that Amy just wasn't going to make it, so I went in and voted for Pete. If I'd waited till election day, I'd have voted for Biden.
Also, if I'd waited till election day I might have spent hours in line. We had those kinds of lines, election day. As it was, voting early, there was only about a five minute wait.
I didn't expect Joe Biden to do near so well. He was astonishing, but I don't regret voting for Pete. Amy is my first choice for VP, and I think a vice-presidential candidate from the Midwest would be great. I look forward to Pete becoming President sometime in the future.
Meanwhile, I don't regret my vote and I'll probably continue to vote early, but I will give money to Biden's campaign.
4
As a fellow resident of the state where we have maybe the easiest, most convenient voting system in the country, may I please ask that you cut out your whining. I waited until last week to send in my ballot - still early, but I voted for someone still in the race. I could have waited until today, and still cast a perfectly legal vote.
So please. You have it good. It’s a primary. Next time wait a couple weeks to see how Super Tuesday pans out. The problem is NOT early voting; it’s you.
5
Timothy--I voted for Elizabeth Warren, intentionally, the day after she dropped out. It may be the last vote for the rest of my life where I could breathe deeply and freely--not having to hold my nose while voting. It hardly felt like a waste to me.
9
So Egan’s theory is that, if voting was all on one day he would not have voted for who he did? Any way you slice this, most votes in primaries do not end up have “influence”.
Possibly there needs to be some self-winnowing from the get-go. Having - was it 22? - candidates throw their hats in the ring was LUDICROUS. I don’t know how you prevent that - and everyone will cry foul - but at MOST there should be max 5 candidates out of the gate.
1
I think your vote did “count.” You sent a message to the party regarding your choice, and the Democratic party needs to deal with all the disaffected voters to beat trump in the final. You didn’t make the mistake, the candidates and the party did.
2
Oh give the Bernie Bros meme a rest Mr. Egan. There has been a lot of trashing of Mr. Sanders from other candidates as well as their supporters. The centrists are upset because Sanders has effectively pushed the discussion of tax payers/voters setting the agenda to the historically progressive positions of the party and it upsets the DLC/DNC centrists. Boo-hoo.
3
I must gently disagree that your vote was wasted. You did NOT vote for any other candidate. Therefore you passed on the bad as well as the OK. Further, your candidate may have endorsed someone who is still running. Anyone looking at the results will add, somewhat reduced, the totals for your candidate to the totals of those that they endorsed. Anyone looking at the total number of voters that cast a ballot will see you in the total.
Waiting until the date of the election to place your choice is reasonable. You can still vote at home if you need an adult beverage before, or after, doing what your country expects of you. Just do it on election day.
2
My husband and I wasted our votes, too. In the future, election day voting for us.
But we are retired. Why isn't election day a day off for working people? I don't think that would have produced Bernie's magical disappearing youth wave, but it would certainly let-- and encourage-- more people to show up at the poles.
1
Is spoiling your ballot not a thing in Washington? In MI you can go to your local clerk’s office and ask to spoil your ballot, essentially allowing you to re-do your vote. I know several people who were in the same position as the writer and did this very thing. While inconvenient, it still allows you to make your vote count (also, since when does voting for someone who isn’t technically running render your ballot useless? Why even have an option to write in, then?)
1
You can be thankful that you voted for a candidate who did not support the Iraq War. Kerry, Clinton, and now it Biden, all voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq. Several democratic senators voted no, Sanders voted no as an independent. Many people warned of bad intelligence linking Saddam to 9/11, of the tens of thousands of casualties and decades of sectarian violence. Your vote in 2020 did not send propel another Iraq War Democrat into the presidential election, be proud. Be thankful you cannot change your vote. Be glad you don’t live in Oregon where your vote doesn’t even matter.
1
What is wrong with people who vote early? WAIT until a few days before your state votes! This isn’t that complicated. Why vote so early??
2
"... I will never vote before election day again."
You and me both. My vote for Elizabeth Warren was also wasted.
1
I live in Washington State and I've never heard the term you cite, "Mini Tuesday." The public radio stations and local news are calling it Big Tuesday (v. Super Tuesday). Also, since you merit a column in NYT, you should know better that your vote still counts toward delegates for the individual you voted for, for representation at the national convention. Probably whoever you voted for was going to be short anyway, even if they still were in it to the end.
1
Why would anyone vote early in this type of contest?
3
You no more wasted your vote than any late voter who finds out tomorrow the race decided by more than one vote. You only wasted your time.
On the bright side, your candidate won't start a war.
2
I made up my mind who to vote for in the North Dakota primary at the very last minute, as I was sitting down at the table next to the bottle of hand sanitizer and across the room from a guy wearing a face mask. A couple of things influenced my decision. My health insurance company sent me a statement for my last dentist visit which included an unpaid deductible that will cost about as much as the cable bill I canceled last month. I have never had to pay a deductible for health insurance before but my employer decided to switch plans. And then there was the developmentally disabled and quite possibly mentally ill guy I just saw in court who has spent the last two weeks in jail on a non violent misdemeanor charge. No one would pay $150 to bond him out and he is completely bewildered and has no understanding why he’s been sitting there. It’s like keeping a 7 year old in jail. Our health care system is an utter disgrace and I am feeling like rebelling. I checked the box by Bernie’s name. I don’t know how I’ll feel in six months or how many thousands will have died of coronavirus by then.
2
Except for the absentee ballots of someone expected to be incommunicado for a long period, like someone embedded in a war zone, I don't see why early voting should extend more than a week given the fact that we're talking about mail-in and drop-off ballots.
If Voting Day is to be a Tuesday, early voting should start on the Friday or Saturday before, as in postmarked no earlier than that date.
The facts on the ground move too fast in an eight-person primary to be hasty about your decision.
But that is the same reason why we should not have one primary voting day. It's valuable to learn the lessons along with the candidates as they navigate the primaries and reach out to different parts of the disparate Democratic electorate.
1
How annoying and how disingenuous. You voted early in WA, then urged everyone but Biden to drop out? Now you blame early voting and think the ballot was all wrong? Maybe as a senior member of the Times' syndacati you don't influence candidates but you might influence voters. After all, isn't that the point?
4
So you thought that your vote matters?
4
The worm gets the bird!
Robo-bros, clever. And why wait for Republicans to slander the only decent candidate in the race when we have middling centrist columnists to do it for them? Even better, the blandest white guy at the Times could just casually disparage that candidate's supporters, fatuously unaware that his every word proves their point.
4
@Jack Yes, thank you. A lot of disparagement of Senator Saders supporters by New York Times and columnist commenters.
But of course, the supporters of all Sanders' opponents are such perfect ladies and gentlemen.
1
@Jack good observation !
Wasn't the outcome of your action completely predictable? Think, man.
3
In some states you are allowed to change your vote if the candidate is no longer. Please check everyone!!!!
1
Warren, Warren, Warren... all this talk about what a great person she is, and how people didn’t vote for her because she’s a woman. Bunk! She was a liar, annoying, a snitch, and annoying. She didn’t have a clue how she would fund her own programs. She was not Native American, no matter what her Mammy said. Give me a Margaret Thatcher, and I’ll give you the first female president of the United States.
1
tom,
read one of your books a few years back and read most of your opines (like ur non-nyc perspective) but being a Bernie bro i'm disappointed u voted for one of the losers. u lose and unfortunately so will Bernie. Long live the centrist democracy. Will it ever end.
Ditto.
1
Thanks to our stupid nomination process I wasn't allowed to vote for ANY candidate so far, this entire thing reeks of corruption.
What a waste of a column. You should have known better. Unless you are disabled, under quarantine or have some under extenuating circumstances, you should wait and see what happens. Isn’t this obvious? Especially for someone whose job is to opine on politics? Boo hoo. Just as silly as those who don’t vote.
4
Boo Hoo. Should have looked ahead.
3
Should journalists who write with subject-verb disagreement even get to vote?
4
So uhm, who'd ya vote for?
1
Another NYT columnist taking a pot shot at Bernie Sanders. So,
is it “negative” campaigning for Sanders to bring up Biden’s Iraq War vote?
You be the judge of that and how objective the Times is during this campaign.
Consider the fact that another Time’s columnist prescient criticism of Sanders last week was that he was “grumpy”. That’s heavy hitting thoughtful journalism there.
I guess it all the news now that fits the Establishment agenda that a serious reformer not be elected.
Ooooh Centrism is so comforting in these dark and dangerous times. It is comforting for the 1% and their “liberal” allies. But
no so much for the bottom quarter of the 99%.
The fix is truly in.
Mike
2
@Michael Started a long time ago, but in true earnest just before Super Tuesday. To the Egans of the world, Bernie is scarier than Trump.
You have 1 week to move to Illinois LOL
1
My vote never counts. By the time we in my state the candidate has already been chosen by the rest of the country.
The Democratic candidate will never win the general election in Iowa, and the vote in New Hampshire hardly matters in November. But it is hard to win the general election without the vote in my state and yet we have little to say about picking the candidate.
Here is a one solution that I am taking as a late primary state voter. Alas. I cannot make an impact like those in some other states— Iowa, New Hampshire, etc—with my vote. I did volunteer for the candidate of my choice in New Hampshire, with no success. However, I can still vote with my heart. If the race is resolved by the date of the New York primary in late April, I fully intend to vote for my original candidate then.
1
Rank choice, rank choice, rank choice. it is one of the biggest solutions to what plagues our democracy. Had we had rank choice in 2016, The Donald would never, in 1000 years, have become president. Rank choice rewards the most sane, the most measured and the one that speaks to the most people. it would be the absolute death of the Republican party.
5
1. Complain about your own mistake.
2. Ignore Tulsi Gabbard.
3. Take a swipe at Bernie Sanders.
Yep, Tim is following the NYT Election Style Guide.
8
“Robo-bros”
Extremely serious piece of journalism here.
5
Sanders never had a chance. Thank NYT for 4 more years
You’re an opinion writer and it didn’t occur to you that the field might narrow and you should wait? I live in Seattle, am voting today—and everyone I know is doing the same.
4
If you don't live in West Virginia, Penn., Ohio, Mich., Minn., or Wisconsin, your vote (and mine) won't matter in November.
1
@Bill Wilkerson
I respectfully disagree. Every vote counts!!
Using our body as an example, if a cell in our body didn’t do it’s job, it would diminish/harm the whole body. Also, everyone can write letters, advocate by phone banks, or walking neighborhoods to get out the vote. Or send money to support other close races.
I agree we should have ranked choice voting in the Primary. I’m going to talk with my Democratic delegates to change our Primary. Squeaky wheel brother💪👍
1
Sure, wait 'til Election Day to vote. But what if you die first. Then you're out of luck.
I can always live with the lousy columns you write and the pernicious neoliberal ideas they contain, Tim, but not with your votes. So let me vigorously encourage you to always vote by mail. Thanks again from California, where my mail-in ballot counted.
I think they call it jumping the gun
2
Me either!
Oh come on with the Bernie bro nonsense. It's gross, sexist and dismissive of the women who support Sanders.
4
In Michigan, you just go to the clerk's office and they can mark your ballot"spoiled" and give you a new one to vote again.
2
Given your retrograde takes on just about everything, I’d say this was a positive outcome.
2
You are a political columnist paid to dispense pearls of wisdom and you did not realize that candidates in a presidential primary can drop out?
3
Why doesn't Egan tell us who he voted for? What? Is he embarrassed to say?
3
Please, Tim, stop whining. It's only 'wasted' if you don't go to your county seat and demand satisfaction, before WA polls close at eight pm tonite.
Geesh. Kids these days...
Good luck.
2
Newt Gingrich won by 600 votes. Imagine where we would be if Clinton's agenda had been allowed to move forward in the 1990s and some semblance of dignity was retained in the House. And if that pesky women had gotten heathcare reform passed.
2
It is too bad we don't have Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) yet. It would make this problem disappear.
I'm also in WA. Looking at the primary schedule, it seemed obvious to me to wait until after Super Tue. to vote.
If I'd voted early, I'd have "wasted" my vote for Warren, my first choice. Not just a waste because she's now dropped out, but also because my vote might've been counted as some as a vote for Sanders.
No, as much as I'm not a fan of Biden, I voted for him yesterday, Mon. Just as, if Sanders wins the nomination, I'll of course vote for him over Trump.
Ranked Choice Voting would solve this problem.
1
I like Mr Egans books, but this is why I don’t listen to the pundits in general. They all seem to have a peculiar non awareness or common sense regarding real life.
Washington State does accept their ballots way too early. That being said, why would you vote before Super Tuesday? Candidates with single digit support that get wiped out that night are likely to drop out, you would have had plenty of time to make a more informed choice.
Admit it, you just wanted your candidate and didn’t give a hoot at that point if they were viable to win the general election.
Thank you to the good citizens of South Carolina, Representative Clyburn and others who have their eye on the prize...who can win the presidency with the Electoral College rules we have.
1
Yes, timing makes a different.
Bernie won CA, but the votes received by the candidates that dropped out, just before Super Tuesday, were greater than Bernie's votes.
So, those voters probably feel the same way!
Your friend is right!
Interesting! I have always felt that way about advance voting--tempting, but what if??? So I have never done it except 45 years ago just before giving birth (chads). Anyway, I enjoy exercising my right to vote on Election Day.
I voted by mail in Florida because I travel extensively and have a primary worksite elsewhere. I agonized over my choice for quite a while, and then decided to ignore the “who can beat him” problem and vote for the person I think should BE the President of the United States. I don’t regret the vote, but in the end, as with Timothy’s early vote it doesn’t count because Elizabeth dropped out. My sister did the same, and we made a pact today never to vote that early again. Thanks for the rueful column; I feel slightly less stupid.
I'm sure you had an equal problem with negative ads about Sanders. Oh wait...you parroted the GOP talking points in this very column.
2
You know Biden will not do anything for the environment, right?
2
Mexico manages to hold its presidential election the first Sunday in July.
Spare me the need for my handkerchief. Anyone with half a brain, and people at the New York Times by definition have the equivalent of at least two brains, knows that if you vote early anything can happen between your early vote and the actual election or primary date to make your vote moot, for example, for candidates who drop out. Ranked voting? Great. Introduce more complications to what has already become complicated enough (see Iowa). I don't live in one of the "overwhelmingly white states [that] chose the party nominees," meaning, I guess, Iowa and New Hampshire. Memo to residents of those two states. Change the color of your skin. Or maybe move to South Carolina, a state whose residents' color is presumably more to the columnist's liking, but conveniently left out as a "state that chose the party's nominees."
How can you complain when you were the one urging those other candidates to drop out. You are paying for your sins !!!
Why would you vote early in a primary or caucus? Sorry, that actually makes no sense (and you admit it, too?). The number of candidates are always fluid this early. You should subscribe to a newspaper or something. ;-)
3
What a pointless article, I mean why would you possibly use an absentee ballot before the SC election. Clearly people would drop before the Washington primary. I get it if you thought you would be too busy on election day to vote, so I agree maybe move voting day to a Saturday or make it a holiday, but you don't even mention that in your article. Also saying Bernie Sanders is running "annoying" ads in your home state against Joe Biden is a pretty sophomoric thing to say. Find something more useful to write about.
Timothy is expressing the learned privilege of his position and platform. While he dismisses conventional campaigning and the volunteers/activists who are participating in the effort to mobilize this country against a rising fascist, he complains about not having a say... in his regular column in the new york times.
3
@garrett "Learned privilege?" He's an opinion columnist. He gets to write about his opinions. This is an opinion; you happen not to agree with it. The world continues to spin. Might note, though, that while you put him him down for his "learned privilege": He's worked as a journalist his entire career and written eight extremely well-researched books, one of which won the National Book Award -- which may be why he got this job, and this "privilege."
1
My candidate dropped out after I filled in my ballot, but before I mailed it in. Luckily I found that I was able to go to a polling site in person, turn in my ballot, and cast a new one that mattered!
Yeah right. I went to do just that, whereupon explaining this to the pollworker, he nodded his head and promptly dropped my ballot into the box anyway. I was literally speechless. After I explained again, he tried digging it out, tearing someone else's ballot in the process. Then he tried opening the box which I'm pretty sure is illegal?! Eventually he got my ballot out and allowed me to cast a new one.. who knows if it'll even count.
All the while he kept insisting to me that it didn't matter and he had no idea why I was requesting this, even giving me attitude as I turned in my new ballot.
I don't blame him necessarily, I blame whatever type of "training" our poll workers go through.
1
So you won't vote for somebody until somebody else votes for them. You're the 2-party cabal's dream.
2
Yes, you count. Vote in November.
1
Tim, why didn’t you just wait to vote until after Super Tuesday?
1
Given that you knew this going-in, as a fellow resident of WA I have to wonder, "What the heck were you thinking?" Good grief. There was *no* benefit to voting early, yet you somehow didn't grasp this. It leaves me feeling a bit helpless because if people like you don't understand the implications what hope...sigh.
1
Imagine being this mad that you can't vote against Bernie more strategically.
3
The author is exactly right - the trend toward early voting eliminates the ability to react to change whether those be a candidate dropping out or new information coming in. In short, early voting maybe makes for MORE voters but those voters are, in effect, more ignorant voters. And some get cut out of the game altogether. It's a stupid trend. Early voting may make sense in the last week - and we can all figure out how to vote with seven days to make it a reality. But early no-fault absentee voting is a fool's game.
Same thing happened to me and also both my parents! We are tired of following the rules and being disenfranchised. Ranked-choice voting at the federal level would solve this silly problem !!
Tim - As a fellow Seattle resident I gleefully opened my primary ballot. With my six-year-old daughter at my side, I talked about how important I think it is to have women as our representatives. She is flabbergasted that we’ve never had a female president and has decided that she will fill the post if (God forbid) we haven’t had one by the she grows up. Then she watched me fill in the circle next to Elizabeth Warren’s name.
I didn’t have the heart to make her watch me steam open the envelope to change my vote for one of the old white dudes before I drop it in the box today.
I’m madder than heck that we haven’t gone to ranked-choice voting, and that we don’t have a national primary day. We’re the United States of America. For goodness’s sake, why can’t we get elections and voting right?!?!
1
"The 2016 campaign established Mr. Sanders as the Democratic Party’s foremost practitioner of grievance politics. Like Donald Trump in that year’s Republican primary, Mr. Sanders tapped into populist anger to upend a major political party."
Okay, so your candidate dropped out. Move on.
My advice: The grumpy complainer (see above) is bizarro Trump, and we another narcissist like a hole in the head.
Boy Timothy you are so right!
I havent voted yet...and will just do it the last hour or the last day. Maybe the DNC will change again (!) some rule and I may be able to vote twice for Bernie...Who knows!
Boo, hoo! In a number of states if you are registered as an independent, the big boys will not let you play until the big dance in November. At least you got to vote.
This is just one of many problems with early voting. Let's kill it.
It's ridiculous that people who are no longer running remain on ballots. The system for early voting is a nonsense system. Fortunately I waited until today to send my ballot, for exactly that reason.
Vote in November and hopefully we can start to rid the USA of the fascist scourge of the trump crime family.
What's the point of this? Why the NYTimes gave column space to this is bewildering. If the writer isn't going to make a case for ranked choice voting for example (saying that's "another argument") - as opposed to what? What argument is being made here? What opinion being expressed?
2
Who told you to vote early?
Vote on voting day.
1
Welocme to the club of people that really don't matter. I vote always, but since childhood I've never really mattered. I told myself I did, but as I get older I now know I really don't. It's ok, I'm not bitter. It just makes me try harder to make a difference. No guaranties though.
I believe your writing about the situation here is very apropos and could raise awareness and help us eventually get a ranked ballot in WA state. There are many ways to structure such a ballot, so agreeing on a specific approach would likely be a protracted affair. A ranked ballot would not be perfect but it would IMO be better than what we have now, for the reasons you point out. It would also avoid increased problems with everyone waiting till the last minute to mail their presidential primary ballots.
Your vote counts, because it is not a vote for somebody you would not want to see in office. It reduces, by a tiny but measurable amount, the margin of victory for the eventual winner, who presumably was not your first choice. It increases turnout by a tiny, but measurable, increment.
With a view to the potential for this scenario, I mailed my ballot this past Saturday.
Here in California, as another commenter mentioned, we have the option to complete our "mail-in" ballot at home and then turn it in to a voting center up to the end of the official election day. This is a boon to introverts like me who need time and quiet to focus on filling in our often very complex ballot with so many office, candidates and propositions to consider and not be afraid of making an error.
1
Something similarly happened to me in the 2016 primary. May I suggest waiting till closer till normal voting times? It allows time learn more about the candidates and make the vote count. Personally I learned closed state election rules.
1
I was going to respond with a more snarky comment, but I’ll take the high road and give your reply a 1.
2
I work in an office that gets a lot of mail, and I can attest that at least 4 times a week we get the wrong mail. Also, I tried mailing in my ballot once. Once. I did not like the feeling that my vote wasn't a done deal. For those two reasons, I do not vote by mail.
That said, I take advantage of early voting, ideally the final weekend before election day. No lines, and I don't have to rush to work.
Yep, I'm in the same boat!
In Michigan we could spoil our first ballot and obtain a second absentee ballot up until Saturday.
If you think think Sanders's negative ads are annoying, wait until the Republicans start digging into Biden's past. "Safe option" indeed.
3
Pot, meet kettle.
1
I fear the same however Bidens past pales in comparison to Trump
In Michigan we are allowed to change our original spoiled ballot, up until election day. I did. Changed from a woman candidate to a man.
Welcome to the club. I live in New York. My vote for president never counts but the race sure does take up a ton of my media time.
6
“Robo-bros”? Give me a break—those are volunteers from all over the country, every gender, every color. People who will be volunteering for Bernie against Trump if he’s the nominee. Something tells me you will be begging for some robo-bros if Biden ends up taking on Trump—no grassroots, no young supporters, no volunteers.
2
@Nicholas But lots and lots of of New York Times columnists. And who could possibly know better than they?
The solution is easy -- vote and mail in your ballot on the Friday before Election Day.
Let me get this straight - you voted for a candidate you encouraged in your column to drop out??
That's....interesting.
A note on voting by mail: In SOME states, ok, I just come out and say it, in red states, it's really better not to do that.
Here in Florida, for instance, there were gigantic SNAFUS in 2018 with mail-in ballots. Many didn't get sent back in time to be counted. Others were contested because the signatures didn't match because over the years, as people mature/deteriorate, their signatures do as well. It's a mess.
I literally heard an election expert say on the radio, if you want your vote to count, don't mail it in. Then again, he was speaking specifically for Florida. Washington State probably doesn't have those problems. (You with your "snake" governor, eye roll.)
1
That was bad planning on your part. You can wait until the last minute and drop it off at a drop off site or you could have mailed your ballot last Wednesday or Thursday.
The benefit of vote by mail far outweighs the cost.
The real problem is allowing a few states so much power to narrow the field so fast
1
My husband and i are in the same boat as you.
1
Great points but what were you thinking by not waiting to postmark it on election day?
Don't be too hard on yourself. Statistically, your vote wasn't going to matter even if you had voted for someone who was still in the race on Election Day. At least not on its own. Yes, yes, "somebody has to win the lottery." Ever notice how it's never you? Same thing.
You got your vote. Your candidate lost. You found out early. What you want is a second vote to switch to a different candidate because you don't like one of the remaining candidates. It's one man one vote. Not one man, one vote and one extra vote if your candidate loses.
There is no 'anyone but that guy' vote. Your position is petty.
2
You actually had a LOT of influence on the election. You voted for candidates who were not going to last. Anybody could see that. Your only choice, from the start, was Biden vs. Sanders, and you chose to sit it out and let other people do the real deciding for you.
Don't blame anyone but yourself.
Pick the right candidate next time then. BIDEN for the WIN.
3
Mr. Egan you didn't really have as much of a say as you think. It was evident that the party apparatchik was gunning for Sanders and was going to promote and position their anointed guy, Biden. As to negative ads, Biden launched negative ads against Bernie the day after the South Carolina primary. Please stop with your ongoing attacks on Sanders. You are one of the privileged in our society, please act accordingly. And no I was a Warren supporter.
3
Why are we choosing not to direct our anger at disingenuous liar candidates who withdraw from a big election the day before votes are to be cast, ultimately insulting hundreds of thousands of supporters who they know voted for them early?
Pete & Amy deserve your ire for being transparently fake candidates who disrespect the democratic process and the voters themselves.
1
If you had given this any thought at all you would have waited until after Super Tuesday to cast your vote. Next time.
The NYT editors pick comments from people from states that Donald Trump won and will likely win again giving advice on how people need to vote in other states that he lost in order to defeat him.
In our divided limited different power constitutional republic of united states we don't have a national primary nor general election for President. We have 50 separate sovereign state general elections plus the District of Columbia. And we have territories and possessions in the primary.
America is not and never was meant to be a democracy. Everyone who votes matters.
Those who don't vote don't matter. In the last Presidential election about a 100 million Americans who were potentially eligible vote chose not to do so
3
So did my wife and i. So be it.
1
At least you still have a broad, influential platform, and use it to the best of your considerable abilities. The possibility of shaping discussion is not nothing, especially at this moment.
1
I voted early for a candidate that dropped out too but Mr Bruni is offering dumb advice. Even if the candidate I voted for dropped out, he or she can likely influence their pledged delegates to vote for their endorsed candidates at the convention. And if everyone voted Kasturia mintier, elections would take forever to tally up and not be declared until weeks later.
Act in haste, repent at leisure. Sorry not the future try patience.
Timmy, the hand writing was on the wall when you cast your ballot! You should have known better1
Always, always wait until Election Day!
I am reminded of the story of the Rabbi who would teach the King's horse to speak in 5 years time or the Jews would be expelled from the kingdom and the Rabbi horribly executed.
When asked how he could make such a deal, the Rabbi replied, "In 5 years the King may be dead, I may be dead, Or, God willing, the horse may talk."
I, too, voted for a candidate who withdrew from the campaign. And i took the advice of the Secretary of State to mail the ballot in early.
But I don't feel personally offended. I never expected my candidate had much of a chance anyway.
“You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.”
--Max Ehrmann, Desiderata: A Poem for a Way of Life
All candidates have people that text for them, they're not "robo-bros" and to imply so is ludicrous. Do better.
1
You don't win a prize for guessing the correct candidate. Vote for who you believe would be the best person for the job. Vote your conscience, not some weird machiavellian scheme.
"I will never vote before Election Day again."
Good. I always thought that early voting was just plain idiotic, both in primaries and the general election. Except in one case when I knew I would be out of the country on election day and submitted an absentee ballot, I never have and never will.
Some states (Michigan, for example) let you spoil your early vote and go back and cast a new one.
The two crime families will never see any motivation for voter reform they like it right where it is; easily influenced and ridiculous money to the media. The pitchforks are coming!
The votes that count come in the form of Big Bucks from Big Pharma, Big Oil, Big Insurance, Big Tech, blah and blah.
I voted early for a candidate who dropped out, but I don't care. Athough I'll vote for whomever is the eventual nominee, I could not have voted for either Biden or Bernie in the primary. They are both terrible candidates.
“I voted early for a candidate who has since dropped out. I will have zero influence on the outcome.”
Ok. Thats pretty much your entire op-ed. Why is it worthy of print in the Times? It was your individual decision.
BTW, the Democratic Party is not a government institution. They are a private corporation and are free to nominate under any rules they establish. Was just adjudicated in August. I imagine they could flip a coin.
1
All that tells me is that your choice of candidate(s) was flawed, ranked choice or not.
1
Oh the delicious irony.....
"How Stupid is Iowa?"
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/opinion/how-stupid-is-iowa.html
Although 1) given our difficulty with counting on election night, perhaps my vote also made no difference And 2) to be fair, the topic of your article in 2016, was the republican caucus which has a history of picking the candidate most revered by the evangelical wing of the GOP, but rarely the eventual nominee
Still, the irony of your situation/ past stances is not lost on me.
1
But wait!
There is still "Dump Trump Tuesday." In early November, I believe.
2
In Michigan you can declare your ballot spoiled if your candidate dropped out and you were then able to revote.
Thanks for this personal blog post. When will your column be out?
2
I assume you voted for a candidate who didn’t have much support at the time. To the extent you “wasted” your vote, the tea leaves were right in front of you - but you voted for that person regardless.
1
I’m a Washington voter and held off submitting my ballot until after Super Tuesday for this very reason as I knew a lot could change. Btw....Mr Egan, I am reading your novel, “The Good Rain”. Love it!! What a great walk through the Washington environs....
Honestly, in a primary campaign with so many candidates, early on trying hard to prevail... we should all know that only 2 or 3 are actually viable as they roll through the primary season.
Best to NOT vote early under such circumstances.
1
Living in Oregon, with it's near end of the line vote, it's not even worth mailing the ballot, given that primary elections come down to the equivalent of picking the color on a Model T.
The US, at every level is abysmal when it comes to the notions of democracy.
1
Yep, same here. Some states at least allow voters to cancel their early vote and submit another one. That would be very nice.
I don't agree that ranked voting is another argument. I think it is THE argument, perhaps along with the silliness of state-by-state voting regulations for national elections. My preferred candidate had also withdrawn before the primary, and while I don't consider my early vote wasted, I do REALLY wish that it had gone towards somebody I supported more than either if the remaining candidates.
1
pretty sure those in the corporate media with anti-bernie sentiment have a much bigger audience than so-called bernie bros. you're part of the problem.
3
Tim Boy - you couldn't see this coming????
From the time I learned the primary schedule I decided I'd wait until after Super Tuesday to fill out my ballot. The idea being to vote for the remaining candidate most likely to beat Trump.
A vote for anyone but Sanders was a vote wasted anyway -
Joe Biden will give a repeat performance of Hillary
Clinton in the general election - handing the DNC
another loss.
2
Politics, like a cold, can exhibit wildly arced symptoms from day-to-day. Only the current symptoms matter. Never vote early.
I think crying about it would probably help. Should have factored that in.
I had just marked my ballot for Pete Buttigieg when the news flashed that he was dropping out.
I could have changed my ballot, but I didn't. I wanted to vote for Pete Buttigieg. And I don't really know for whom I would have voted instead.
So, please stop whining for do-overs and the mush of ranked choice voting which often ends by electing a candidate no one really wanted.
Oaklanders will tell you all about Jean Quan, elected by ranked choice voting.
Her single term was...well, regrettable.
1
Early voting is meaningless at the primary level. There should be one election day where everyone gets to vote, just like in the general. Everyone gets to vote their conscience instead of voting who they believe is most "electable", based on what people in other states decided.
This isn't the 19th century any more where there was no way to travel across the country in a timely fashion. Get with it, America; it's embarrassing.
2
I did the same thing in California. Never again.
As for me, I voted on election day. Now that the media thinks the primaries are over because the establishment candidate is in the lead, I get obnoxious messages from Biden Bro's that remind me of how Wall Street and corporate America really choose the nominees.
3
It's never a wasted vote to vote for a candidate you believe in. Just as it is never a wasted vote to NOT vote if no candidate earns your vote by speaking to your same values.
2
If you're really saying (you can't REALLY be saying...?) that you'd vote against Bernie Sanders because his ads are annoying to you and you're getting too many texts... then I'm sorry, but it's a lucky break that your vote didn't count. This is an election where there actually are some pretty serious issues and policy differences, not sure if you've been keeping up with any of that; if your decision-making is at all like what you're making it sound like (it CAN'T be, can it?) then our democracy is better off without you.
2
Happened to my husband and me in Maine. Solution: no more early voting in primaries.
All of the candidates should have stayed in until Super Tuesday. The primary race should have run it's natural course.
The orchestrated coup by the Dems to shove all the candidates out of the way before the primaries and endorse Biden was disgraceful. More disgraceful is all the threatening calls from top Dems to delegates across the country to fall in line, or else.
Biden is the worst possible candidate. The only way for Biden to steal the nomination was to rig it.
Many of us that volunteered, donated money several times, and strongly supported change feel jilted and disgusted.
The Dems shot themselves in the foot when they pushed Bernie out of the race in 2016 and his supporters stayed home or voted for Trump.
Once again, they are ignoring millions of voters, who are demanding change, and rigging another primary.
When will they learn? If 4 years of Trump can't make Dems see the light, what will?
2
Tim, I reckon your piling on and vilifying Sanders along with the rest of the punditocracy is your right as an "Opinion Writer," but joining them in vilifying Sanders' supporters is a foolish mistake since you might just need his supporters to vote for your establishment candidate in the general.
Hillary and her supporters vilified Sanders' supporters back in 2016, starting with their creation of the "Bernie Bros" meme, while Trump had the wisdom to treat them with respect, and look what happened.
If Biden's the nominee, I hope he'll win, but I fear you people have already insulted and alienated the struggling millions who support Sanders to the point that many would rather let Trump win again than give you the satisfaction of their blessing on November 3rd.
4
How about we all vote in primaries on the same day, and in a radically shortened Presidential election cycle?
General elections in Ireland and Britain, for instance, are called and then held within a matter of weeks. Imagine: no more exhausting marathon races and endless ad blitzes that drive voters nuts; no more stringing along one “debate” after another that just turns into a shouting and sniping match that accomplishes nothing and the media rate strictly for the number of gaffes and punches scored; no more “wake me when it’s over” ennui setting in months before the general election (maybe that’s why voter turnout is so low?)
The winners: we, the voters and candidates who wouldn’t have to spend outrageous amounts of time begging for cash. The losers: people who make big bucks off the campaign industry. They’ll survive.
1
It would have been nice for Mr. Egan to take the time to research the real unemployment rate instead of this time wasting topic.
If Trump wasn't elected in 2016, he'd be tweeting everyday for the last 4 years that the real unemployment rate is 45% and the Times wouldn't totally disagree. . . please one of you opinion artists, figure out the real number as of 3/10/2020 and please less pointless opinion junk food- we are powerless to resist.
1
Timothy, you urged them to drop out *and* you voted for them? Why?
2
Too bad for Timothy Egan's vote. It's just one more example why this so-called Exceptional American Democracy, based on voting plus other nonsense like Electoral College, is a joke. Still the mantra of "you've gotta vote" is chanted by every well-meaning person brainwashed by the ideology of universal suffrage.
As long as this system persist, the same problems plaguing USA will keep on rolling along. There is no end in sight. The picture is just as bad in other "democracies" like India and Brazil.
Ranked choice voting is not “another argument.”
It’s EXACTLY the same argument, which you seem to understand when you point out that IF there had been ranked choice voting, your vote would still have counted.
Your vote was “wasted,” just as if you had deliberately voted for Tulsi Gabbard because it won’t have any direct impact on the outcome.
You can fix both problems as the same time... ranked choice voting.
Don’t make the argument harder than it needs to be.
It’s cool man. Trump is still in. He will appreciate your vote. No worries.
1
In Florida I believe it is even more critical that you vote when the polls open up, rather than by absentee since there is a greater chance your signature on paper will not match the one done on a screen at the DMV!
Democrats and Liberals like early voting because it expands access.But like most things there are plusses and minuses.There's something to be said for real time participation.It would be great if election day was a national holiday and we celebrated our democracy together.It would be like the Super Bowl.The fact that both teams have two weeks of preparation is similar to voters staying involved.Sorry that you voted early!We vote.March 17 th.
Ahah! We have been subjected to a bunch of whining about how the Establishment made Pete, Amy, and Mike drop out. It turns out that you, Tim, are the Establishment. Perhaps Bernie can just call you directly, and stop flooding the airwaves with spokespeople complaining about the rest of us voters being the Establishment. One could hope.
1
You think YOU'RE bad off? Think of all the paid staffers who worked so hard for the Pete and Amy campaigns! I wonder how they're doing this afternoon.
2
The editor of our small town newspaper urged readers to wait before mailing in our ballots, and we agreed that it made sense.
Egan was complacent and licks his wounds publicly, which takes some courage.
1
Maybe it's the coronavirus. Maybe it's Trump going even further off the rails. Whatever it is, I hope Mr Egan gets over it. From a perceptive writer who gave a tinge of west coast perspective to the Times he has become a full time kvetcher. First about Bernie and now about the timing of primaries. Hey! I voted for Warren by mail here in California and I sent her a modest contribution earlier. Somehow, somehow, I will remain calm even though these comment boxes would allow me to scream a bit. Please Mr Egan, do the same.
In MIchigan, absentee voters had the option of changing their votes
I feel your pain, Tim. We in MD don’t vote until April 28. I think it will be over by then.
There is a procedure in WA State to revote that ballot if you went into the Clerk's office prior to today - election day. No vote should ever be wasted - they are too important.
"If we had ranked choice — in which you could pick a second candidate in case your chosen one failed to make the top tier — it would count. "
OR - if you had simply waited to vote until a time when everyone knew the field would be narrowed (as I did) - your vote would matter.
Umm, it never occurred to you that this can happen to people who vote early by mail? My situation's worse. I live in a red state. My votes haven't counted for years.
Get an absentee ballot and walk it into your polling station on Election Day. That’s what many of us in California do. This allows you to make up your mind at the last minute, based on all available information.
The Democrats (and the public) certainly owe a big thank you to black voters in South Carolina who turned the tide and made all of sit up and recalculate.
As one comedian said: “Black voters understand white voters better than white voters understand themselves.” Apparently they knew that the Democratic electorate would coalesce around a decent, experienced moderate, despite his age and flaws.
My wife and I live just across the Hood Canal from you, but we just waited until after Super Tuesday to drop out ballots in the mailbox.
Otherwise we too would have wasted our vote.
We support your proposal for ranked voting here in The Greater Washington.
Why would any savvy reporter (or anyone else)vote early, knowing that candidates will drop out? Not too swift.
1
Always knew you were smart, Mr. Egan. Just one of the reasons I read you regularly. You know a lot and say it well.
And nice to see that you're still learning.
I really enjoy your columns but have zero sympathy for you on this issue. What in the world is the sense in voting early? Even more so in a state that uses mail in ballots.
What is the downside of waiting to mail in your ballot? None. Serves you right that your vote was wasted.
Steve Bullock’s running for the senate makes me smile.
1
The decent thing to do, the most humane vote, is for the candidate who is fighting for the basic cornerstones of civilization for you. Too bad you didn’t think that was Bernie. The national narrative is that Sanders isn’t for ‘decency’ How is Sanders not offering basic human decency? By definition, healthcare as a human right and action of climate change .are. the .most. humane and decent we can get. Continuing to let the obscenely wealthy strip mine what’s left of the middle class is as indecent as one could get. Leaving half the country to literally die, is indecent. Biden and Hillary would have us in an Orwellian nightmare, where down is up. Praying that enough people can see through the haze created, in part, by the NYT and vote for true decency.
1
We waited in AZ until Super Tuesday was over and I almost voted for a drop out but saw the light.
American Democracy Needs Much Fixing - All Over The Lot.
Eliminating Timothy's type of disappointment; getting a Real Congress at least as good as the almost okay one we had decades ago; Destroying of the Imperial Presidency, bombing the Electoral College; Jailing those Suppressing Voting in its various guises; Campaign Finance Reform; Reforming our entire Political System at the Fed and State levels...
And, Adding Many News Outlets Free of Corporate Control!!
A few weeks ago we sat down to cast our Wasgington State ballots. We looked at the options, looked at each other, and said: "Let's wait until after Super Tuesday." I was glad we did.
1
I dropped off my ballot a couple of weeks ago. At this point I am exhausted by the endless campaign and the nonsensical exercise of evaluating the "electability" of any responsible adult who is running against Donald Trump. Seriously? That's a serious question? "Electability" is a cover for misogyny and the basic laziness required to let corporations run our lives. Don't let a virus hit you on the way out!
1
There are technical problems with ranked-choice as we know it. It's can fail dramatically at selecting a compromise candidate, effectively wasting peoples vote. Example with 3 candidates A,B, C.
Priority %
ABC 35%
CBA 35%
BAC 15%
BCA 15%
With common ranked choice, B is eliminated in the first (virtual) round. Voters choice of B as a comprise candidate has been wasted, and its a coin toss between A and C.
Alternative: like ranked choice but remove least liked candidate in successive rounds. So if a person voted ABC, then they cast a vote for C as their most unliked candidate.
Then in the first virtual round it is a tossup between eliminating C or A. Say C is eliminated. Then the virtual second round is
AB 35%
BA 65%
and so B wins.
We might call this "ranked unchoice", or "biggest loser choice".
There are other voting methods I have read of attempting to get at the problem of common ranked choice, but they can rather opaque and confusing.
"Biggest loser choice" is something I think Americans could easily understand and enjoy. Pow! You're out.
So Egan makes it pretty obvious that he would now vote for Joe Biden. I wish he and others would take note that Sanders's followers are not Sanders. The trollers are not "his" "bros." They are independent individuals whom Sanders has condemned more than once for their comments and, as he himself put it, "vitriol."
It seems journalistically questionable to throw around accusation against Sanders--using a NYT column to air some random thoughts and to smear Sanders for his "pretty annoying negative ads" and "his robo-bros."
It is getting tiresome to read slanted anti-Sanders opinion pieces in the NYT. I would have thought Egan would differ from this pattern, but apparently not.
3
I think you mean primary Election Day. If you only vote in November, you have lost even your minuscule power over the selection of the candidate in the primary.
The only votes that are truly wasted are those that are not cast.
Timothy Egan's glass is no doubt half full. Had he waited until the actual date to vote, he would have probably complained about the long lines taking hours to register his vote. But because he took advantage of a state's efforts to get more people to vote by giving them alternatives to the long lines, he feels like he's been cheated. Nobody told him he had to vote six weeks before the actual election. The slogan "Vote Early, Vote Often" is only a joke. Time to put your big boy pants on, Mr. Egan.
Your vote may give your ex-candidate some say in what goes into the Democratic Party platform. That has some value, I would think.
1
I am not convinced that this is a "wasted" vote just because your candidate dropped out or lost the race. Why is that wasted?
I also voted before my candidate dropped out, but the far bigger frustration for me is the vote that I will cast in November. We all know who is going to win WA come November, so my vote doesn't really matter in the slightest. It's only the votes cast in Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida and a few other key swing states that matter. The founding fathers definitely solved the problem of preventing the populous states from always deciding election outcomes, but I doubt they envisioned where that would lead: A country where the majority never gets what it wants (e.g., abortion, guns, supreme court justices, climate change, etc.).
1
New York doesn’t vote until April. The whole thing will probably be decided by then. Why don’t we all vote on the same day, and have ranked voting?
Also, I believe the primary should be open only to party members.
Same here. I voted early for the first time ever in mid-February. Never again.
Ummm ... there were one or three things on the ballot besides the presidential primary (my candidate had also withdrawn). Lessee ... a congressional race, state legislature and senate, board of supervisors, and two tax measures.
No, the time spent to review the election materials and vote were not wasted.
I voted early today, and the presidential preference primary in Florida is separate from other primaries. However, since there are only two real candidates left, is there really any possibility of a wasted vote?
1
Yes I too found that voting early which seems like the way to go, may not always be the best. I think we should all wait and vote on the day. AND Candidates should not exit until the day after a super Tuesday.
Well, maybe don’t vote early if there are three or more candidates. But primaries exist to winnow the field, not determine the ultimate winner.
2
I live in NC which voted on Super Tuesday three days after our southern neighbor, South Carolina, voted on the prior Saturday.
I waited until SC voted even though I could have voted early, up until that very same Saturday, in NC.
I wanted to see which way the scales were tipping and which candidate had momentum to beat Trump. I wanted to see if any candidates would drop out, which two did. I voted for Sanders in the end although he didn't win my state.
Early voting is not always a good thing theses days. Every week and day the playing field changes.
I would add a psychological evaluation done by three psychologists vetted by each candidate's team. This would also include the Republican candidate in the general election. It's way more important than the tax return.
1
I am in the same boat but I don't like either of the remaining candidates as much as the one I voted for, so I hope they still get delegates and can lever them somehow at the convention.
1
I have the opposite experience.
For the very long time, I felt my vote was counted. Because I didn't vote earlier before Super Tuesday in Texas. I got a chance to make my vote matter.
Up until SC, I wasn't sure who I will vote for but I know for sure Sander and Warren won't get my vote.
On TX primary day, I wasn't sure if I would go vote due to the Coronavirus concern. But Biden's surge after SC convinced me that it would be a Sander vs. Biden race after Super Tuesday. I decided to go vote to push Biden over the finish line in TX. He did with a thin margin.
1
I, for one, have always voted at a polling place. When I was but a wee lad, my mom took me with her into the booth (it happened to be at my school up the street from my house). She let me pull the lever when she had locked in her vote. I early on realized the importance of this ritual, and in fifty years have never missed a major election. I also got used to the communality of the process. And, I, too, have long understood that, by voting early, one might be tossing your vote away. Lesson well learned by Mr. Egan.
2
The primary process is undemocratic. This whole business of "momentum" is undemocratic: If the states voted in some other order, momentum might go in some other direction. The solution is to have all states vote in the primaries on the same day -- and no more caucuses, just straight up voting (caucuses favor a particular type of voter, and likely therefore a particular type of candidate). However, there are huge vested interests in the ridiculous horserace we now have: this needs to change, but won't.
2
The entire voting process in the USA is ludicrous. The Canadian election is 40 days!
2
As a resident of the state, I wait until we’re close and place my vote then. Pretty easy resolution of the issue at hand.
2
No, this is wrong thinking. Even though I voted for Warren in early voting, my single vote was a strong vote that will stand in history as a vote for the smartest person in the room as well as a step toward getting a woman into the White House. I vote early in case I’m in a car crash or other situation.
1
Some here now are against early voting, but of course early voting allows a lot of workers to cast a vote who aren’t able to go to the polls on Election Day.
Early voting works against voter suppression.
3
I voted for Warren in the Ca primary 3/3/20. I don't regret this a bit. First, it was an honest vote for who I thought best to lead this country. To have voted for someone I was guessing would win against Trump is to vote strategically while blind. In other words, it would be to vote in total ignorance. Furthermore, it would not be a sincere vote. Who knows how many candidates had to drop out just because we thought vanilla was everyone's favorite flavor. (I find vanilla too bland, but I'm guessing I will be stuck with bland in November.)
Second, I want to register that I stand for Warren's platform.
Third, the primary was my only chance to register my choice. In November, I will have no choice at all; there being only Trump and the Democrat.
1
Voting for the person you believed best is not without merit. It is a reflection of your preference, and thus provides information, signals, that indicate the policy mix and temperament you thought appropriate in a president. I did the same thing in Illinois, and am particularly happy I did so because I voted for the the person whom I firmly believed was the best candidate - Elizabeth Warren.
In the general election, I will vote for either Biden or Sanders because I know that either will be better than Trump. Neither is ideal, in my view. But in the primary, I voted with my mind and my heart firmly aligned to the best person on the ballot.
3
I made the same mistake as you, and took away a slightly different lesson--never vote early in a PRIMARY election, as things can change dramatically at the last minute (as they did in this case).
You can vote early in a GENERAL election, however, as those choices are binary and nothing would ever cause me to change that one. Voting early in the general ensures that no matter what, you can participate in that election.
But never again in a primary. Lesson learned.
They really need to change the primary system so people in larger, more diverse and more urban states have a voice before most of the choices are gone. It's bad enough that we are underrepresented in the Senate and the electoral college.
Same, but I'm not deeply enthused with the remaining candidates. I hope Bernie wins because I think that would be better for the party overall than Biden; but I'll vote for either in the general.
1
For a general election waiting for Election Day is a terrible idea. Primaries have all sorts of issues like the ones you describe. In general elections, early voting makes tremendous sense. If you think Trump is unfit for office, no October surprise will likely change that. And vice versa, of course.
1
Fellow Washingtonian here. a) get rid of caucuses, b) paper ballots tallied non-digitally, c) ranked choice voting, d) prohibit members of the opposing party from voting in your primary. This will preserve the usefulness of mail in ballots, the viability of those ballots, and the legitimacy of the election. Every single eligible American should vote....it’s the ultimate duty of citizenship.
2
Mail-in ballots or other methods that permit early voting are a convenience. All the same, one probably should not vote early unless one has no choice. If, for instance, your only options are to vote early or not at all, then by all means vote early. With mail-in ballots, one can still send mail them in even on election day. They are fine so long as they are postmarked on that date. The option of voting for somebody else has actual value. In this case, we could say it has real value in democracy participation dollars not actual dollars. That real value is determined by the set of principal possible outcomes, each with its own likelihood. Had Mr. Egan majored in economics, he might have remembered that. In voting early his heart was in the right place, but his brain was elsewhere.
1
Knowing that your one vote rarely makes a difference leads one to question 'Why vote?'.
That is not the point of democracy.
The point is that one has a say.
The point is that one has a vested interest.
If any of us were to squander our interest by voting early, we would only have ourselves to blame.
We have succumbed to the laziest aspect of humankind when that which is relatively comfortable for our own lives leads us to ignore the rest.
Early voting should still be a thing so long as so many people have a hard time fighting poll closures or with busy life schedules and employers who'd rather not care about the working people who have to wait several hours in line.
Lets talk about mail in voting. That should be universal. Lets talk about ranked choice (though I figure it was only a concern to the mainstream when it looked like for once an outside candidate was being benefited by the traditional way). Lets talk about wave primaries where there are nation wide stages to the vote if we can't have a ranked choice.
But please lets not narrow our bounds of direct democratic expression. We have so few ways to be directly counted.
I find the idea of voting by mail disturbing. There is a real risk of fraud or coercion. There should be a national holiday on election day to allow everyone to vote, including free bus tickets to those living far off the polling station (and that should be a rare case- there should be enough polling stations to avoid long lines and to be at close distance for most people). Sure, it will cost more money, but isn't democracy worth investing in?
3
@Peaceman We have had voting by mail for several decades here in Oregon. The fraud and coercion you are worried about was an argument against it when it started, but it turned out that just doesn't happen. Not to mention, vote by mail leaves a paper ballot that cannot be hacked, there are no voting machines that can be hacked, and no one gets turned away because election officials provided too few voting machines or the lines at the polling place were too long.
I will correct myself on the fraud. About ten years ago, a county elections official was caught changing ballots that were filled out in pencil for Democratic candidates to votes in pen for Republican candidates.
But the fraud and coercion thing just doesn't happen.
@Peaceman
The great thing about voting by mail is that you can sit down and read the voter's guide provided by the state and take time to choose your votes carefully, especially if there are ballot measures which our state allows. You don't have to show up on a particular day, stand in line and choose a whole range of votes, some of which voters may not be aware of before they get to a polling place. I'd say that's a much greater cause for concern than the over-hyped voter fraud issue.
If there is voter fraud, it's negligible. Our current president set up a voter fraud investigation panel led by Kris Kobach. They didn't find any.
Because Oregon makes it so easy to vote, we get at least 70% of eligible voter participation. If you make it easy to vote, people will vote. Compare that to Texas, which in 2016 only 46% of eligible voters voted. Less than half in a state which has a population of 19 million of voting age.
Doh! With votes counted up to being post-marked on election/primary day, what is the benefit of voting early? The reason for the overwhelming late vote for Biden on Super Tuesday is that sensible voters waited until some of the dust cleared. Many would have voted for others if Biden had slipped up in South Carolina, but he didn't. So, they saved their votes to make them count. Although I have no complaint about voting for first, second and third choices, I still don't understand how that negates the value of waiting until election day to vote...unless you're voting for anyone but Trump.
I voted by mail in the Florida primary and election day here is March 17th. But I do not feel like I wasted my vote even though my candidate has since dropped out. I voted for the candidate I think would have made the best president. Come November, I will vote for the nominee because any candidate is preferable to the current occupant of the White House. I will also donate to the Democrats running to unseat republicans in swing states and districts. I will vote and work to take back our democracy and save our republic. No regrets.
1
Sounds similar to a lesson I learned after 2000, when, in Washington State, I voted third party in the Presidential election knowing that Gore would easily win the state, so my vote wouldn't end up giving the Republican more electoral votes. Which happened. But not everywhere. Like Florida, for instance. After that I deemed any vote to a third party candidate, essentially a protest vote, could add momentum to that candidate even in states where the general outcome was much riskier. Never again. And 2016 proved my point to some degree with the number of Jill Stein votes being greater than the number of votes by which Hillary lost to Trump in at least one swing state, probably more.
Ranked choice voting would correct this issue as well, but that is not our current system. So being more strategic with our precious right to vote is a must.
If it's any consolation Tim, I waited until after super Tuesday. Although my candidate dropped out, I still voted for her. I think we all know who is going to win the nomination. I decided that the best use of my voice was to express an opinion about who promoted the best policies, and who would make the best President.
1
I vote absentee and this year sent my ballot in a few weeks before Super Tuesday, like yourself it was for a candidate that dropped out not long after. I don't feel like it was a complete waste, the vote goes to showing the party what ideas and personalities were supported, but going forward I'm going to vote in the Democrats Abroad primary rather than my state primary as that cut off is after Super Tuesday.
I live in Washington State, and I voted a week ago for Elizabeth Warren. But I didn't mail my ballot. Then Super Tuesday happened and she dropped out. I considered leaving my ballot marked as is, because I wanted to show support for her and her kind of candidate. But I believe that defeating Donald Trump is more important than making a statement, so I've changed my ballot and am now voting for Joe Biden.
3
I don't understand the concept of such early voting in primaries. Especially when the early voting is done a number of weeks before the actual primary. It should come as no shock that candidates will drop out. If there is to be such very early voting then the solution would be preferential (or ranked order as it is known in the US) voting. That way at least a vote for a candidate who dropped out would not be wasted. Actually I would suggest that voting system (plus compulsory casting of ballots), but I doubt that these very workable systems will be adopted in the US.
4
I wasted my vote, too, by voting early. But I know who I voted for, and when the totals are published so will she. She will know that someone in Florida wanted her to become President of the United States. It is the only gift in my power, beyond my modest campaign contributions. It matters to me.
4
I warned a multitude of people about this two weeks before SC, and then again a day or so before SC. "Don't vote early," I said. "The field can and likely will change."
They replied, with more than a hint of snark, "Super Tuesday is two days after SC. How could it matter?"
Fast-forward to Sunday, then Monday and then Super Tuesday.
Now that we're down to two candidates (Tulsi's ridiculous continued presence notwithstanding), I can almost certainly vote early here in GA and not worry about either of the two front-runners dropping out between now and our actual primary on the 17th. I will probably do so next week. But if I lived in a Super Tuesday state, there's no way I would have voted early.
1
I live in PA, which better represents the US than Iowa or New Hampshire. Our primary is more than a month away. All three of my first preferences have dropped out.
1
One of the many reasons early voting in primaries is idiotic.
1
It ought not take for something to happen, to figure out that something could happen. Somebody who is a student of politics knows that by the end of the early February contests, candidates are likely to either drop out, or else be completely unviable. Unfortunately, those 3 or 4 states will have already effectively "winnowed" most of the candidates out of the race, and 98 percent of the Democrats are forced to make a choice between only two surviving candidates--if they are lucky. The Democratic Nomination might be all but wrapped up by April, and that's hardly unusual. There are much deeper structural problems with the Presidential Nomination contests aside from the fact that *some* of the people who vote early have effectively squandered their vote.
In fact, we ought to encourage Early Voting by mandating Ranked Choice Voting. It is simply a superior system, and allows for the two main parties to be punished when they do not nominate candidates who are responsive to the Electorate.
2
I am in a state that didn't even vote yet! I have no chance to vote for the candidate I supported. This is a stupid system. It seems to me if everyone voted on the same day in the primary as we do in the general election, there might be a drastically different outcome.
Similar issue here. Had I known I would not have voted early by mail. Lesson learned.
I think we need to have all primaries on the same day across the US.
You said it: we need ranked choice voting (among other good changes suggested in these comments). https://www.equal.vote/
3
WA has mail in voting. Why on Earth would you vote early? Is it too much to ask of yourself to wait until Election Day to put your ballot in the mailbox??? Seriously??? You only have yourself to blame for your own disenfranchisement.
2
I too voted early, of necessity. I’m out of the country until May, so the only way my vote could be recorded was by voting early. I happened to support Elizabeth Warren, who technically was still a candidate on Super Tuesday, but dropped out of the race the next day. I don’t consider my vote wasted, and I don’t think Mr. Egan’s is either. We both voted for the person we thought would make the best president. The fact that in both our cases, those candidates realized there was no path to the White House — whether before or after primary day — does not negate the fact that we made the decision about the candidate’s worth. Here’s what is important about the vote: whoever achieves the nomination will have secured a majority of the delegates, but he will not have captured the support of every Democratic voter. In fact, he may not have received a majority of all the votes cast in all the primaries. If that candidate is honest, he will go forward with the humility that comes from realizing that only some, but certainly not all voters chose him. And if he is sincere about working for all the people, not just his voters, he will look for ways to earn the trust of those who didn’t support him in the primary. Every vote is critical, because they count in different ways.
5
Honestly, that was dumb. I have a mail-in ballot for Democrats abroad and I purposely held onto it until the last minute because I knew things were very fluid.
I voted for Joe, though I had intended to vote for Amy.
People drop out. That is how primaries work.
1
Nice attack on Bernie - you know what else is annoying? Trying to hide the fact that Joe Biden can’t possibly win against Trump. He can barely get his words together sometimes - and no, this isn’t a stutter alone to blame. Glad you won’t vote early again though. Smart move.
4
@JK trump can rarely get his thoughts together if it's not about Himself
Ranked choice voting, please.
7
Don't vote for terrible candidates who have no chance of winning. Problem solved, genius.
2
"I will never vote before election day again."
Absolutism is never a good position for a columnist,
2
The greatest threat to our Republic is our own grandly inflated sense of our own self-importance. Egan states, "That means I will have zero influence on the outcome." BooHoo. Here are the numbers:
If you get to decide the issue all by yourself, call that an influence factor of '1.00'. Everyone does what you say.
Now suppose you live in a town of 80 people, 50 of whom vote on who gets to be dog catcher. Your influence factor has dropped from 1.00 to 0.02. Now suppose there are just 600,000 voters in total. Your influence factor has now dropped from 0.02 to 0.00000166.
And that is with just 600K voters. In a presidential election with 120M voters, your influence factor is so small that google calculator resorts to scientific notation (8.33333333e-9).
But it gets worse! In federal elections, all you get to choose is a frail, unreliable, self-motivated person TO VOTE FOR YOU! You get no voice whatsoever; that person in whatever state of mind they may be in at the moment gets 100% control of whatever minuscule influence factor that remained to you before the election.
This is why The Founders intended for important domestic issues to be decided locally. Even then they saw the impossibility of a valid and legitimate federal government taking control of issues that belong at the state or local level.
Because voting rights and civil rights are legitimate federal issues does not mean that everything else is, as well.
1
Ours is on the 17th, and I was never a Bernie Sanders supporter.
First I was going for mayor Pete, then Biden or Bloomberg.
Now, Super Tuesday in OH next week I will ve voting for VP Joe Biden.
1
I could have told you that, if you’d asked.
"... I will have zero influence on the outcome. …"
Have no worries. Putin's vote dwarfs any 100,000 individual US citizen votes anyways.
2
Tim, take heart! The candidate you voted for will promote the same neo-liberal policies of the now presumed nominee. Klobuchar, Buttigieg, Booker, Harris, Biden -- there's not, to quote a reprobate of the old south, a dime's worth of difference between them. Tried, true and disastrous.
Now here's hoping Joe can get through an hour-long debate with Donald Trump without revealing the terrifying vacuum inside, the flummoxed, frightened empty eyes.
2
Amen. I voted for Pete Buttigieg early voting in North Carolina. He pulled out of the race before super Tuesday and disenfranchised my vote. The next day prior to super Tuesday election he asked me to give money to Joe Biden. After giving Pete several small contributions, I rebelled and gave Bernie Sanders a small gift. Like you, I will never vote early again.
3
This is why primaries should be on the same day nationwide. And yes, wait until the last minute to vote.
2
@Chazcat
There were some interesting new candidates in this years primary. They could not front the money to staff up & to buy advertising for a single day 50 state primary.
I am a Bernie Sanders supporter, but I think for those who support unknown candidates such as Buttigieg or Yang, a single day 50 state primary would make it very difficult for their candidate to get the gradual purchase they get by doing well in a few early states.
The odds that your one vote will actually change anything are minuscule. So in a sense your vote (almost) never counts. But "counting" is not the reason we should vote. Voting is a civic duty. It is also an expression of your feelings and your personal preference. Are the only votes that count the ones that go to the eventual winner? No. They all count (and don't count) the same. Vote for the one you like best, the one you think would be the best president, regardless of what other people think.
1
I share your regret. I also voted prior to Super Tuesday only to have my favorite drop out. Now only old men are left in. I hope the man who is finally chosen will choose one of the women candidates as a running mate. Since they are both too old to serve two terms, that is probably my only chance to live long enough to see a woman president. I would be very pleased to have Amy, Kamala or Elizabeth in the Oval Office.
Dear Mr. Egan,
I would like to see the primary and caucuses held on one specific day. National Voting Day. It would be a national holiday. If you did not vote you would have to spend one night in jail within the following year. Only emergency workers, firemen, police, hospitals workers and especially pub owners would be exempt.
There would still have to be some early voting, but can you imagine how concentrated the collective mind of the polity would be on that day?
National Voting Day.
I also had to vote early and my choice lost in Super Tuesday. Looking back, I was a bit chagrined, but in the end I voted for who I thought was best.
All the Best.
2
@gpickard
I think a single day primary would be a disaster for candidates like Buttigieg & Yang; people who enter the primary season as unknowns.
Having four early single state primaries/caucuses allows unknown candidates to afford to run a campaign in one state after another until they establish that they are or are not electable.
It is 100% a matter of affordability. One state at a time is doable, 50 states at a time impossible.
By the way, I am a 100% Sanders supporter.
@gpickard Nothing more democratic than forced voting!
I'm for a rotating primary order of some sort, at least for presidential elections. Perhaps have the order based on statewide voter turnout (percentage of registered voters who actually voted) in the previous general election?
2
I share your frustration, I did the same. But take it from a Bay Area voter, ranked choice can be a disaster. Whatever it saves in not having run-offs (the reason it was adapted here), it can result i some pretty mediocre, even unqualified "winners" no one saw coming.
I think after the 2020 primaries, early voters will learn not to jump the gun before the field narrows.
1
@Dennis Ranked choice is not the way to go. Regardless of the length of time and supposed inefficiency, run off elections, where necessary, are going to result in a better decision. Especially true when the candidates have to remain on good behavior that much longer.
1
I think it’s funny Sanders’ supporters get such a bad rap from every mainstream media outlet. I love the Times but it’s misleading to say “Sanders robo bros” have been texting nonstop. Since the beginning of the races I have received automated texts from Sanders and Warren for presidential races and a flurry of messages from state-level candidates. Campaigns are communicating with people in new ways constantly and I am sure that if I was a different demographic makeup I would have been targeted by the Biden and Klobuchar campaigns. It’s unfortunate that there is so much distaste between the remaining candidates and their supporters.
4
@Connor Johnson I donate a lot to campaigns. Donations to campaigns are public information. I get tons of emails from candidates. Biden started sending me about 5 emails a day. I get at least half-a-dozen phone calls soliciting money every day. I can't count how many text messages I get.
By the way I am by no means rich & had to promise my husband I wouldn't donate anymore $. I did max out donating to Sanders.
1
I have also noted repetitive use of the phrase “Bernie Bros” in recent NY Times articles. My 18 year old twin sons are Bernie supporters as is my 86 yo father. I am a 55 year old physician and mother who realized that Bernie’s views on climate policy, healthcare, and human rights reflect my beliefs and I am a supporter. “Bernie Bros” is an inaccurate depiction of my family and I believe its use is purposefully negative and misleading. I will vote for the ultimate democratic nominee but I do resent the pervasive use of “Bernie Bros” as a means to diminish the importance of progressive voices in the nomination process.
2
Yes, it does feel awful when your vote doesn’t count. The citizens of Washington, DC, experience these feelings often. Because we have no voting representative in either the House or the Senate, we are forced to stand on the sidelines and just watch as important issues such as impeachment, selection of Supreme Court justices, or passage of laws like Obamacare are considered by other people’s representatives. Remember our frustration next time you watch close votes on these and other issues.
6
I asked the poll workers at the advance poll near my house what happens when you vote for a candidate who quits. Their answer: the vote still goes to person you voted for, you can't go back and change it. Which is the obvious, correct answer.
Then they invited me to vote. Well, no way. A candidate still has time to do something that I won't approve of so I'll vote on the regular designated day. And my vote will be applied towards someone still actively seeking it.
1
I did the same in Washington. Even as I voted though I wish we had a ranked ballot (don't know if that's the correct term) but any way a first, second, third and so on . At least if one of my top picks gets the votes to win I'm happy. Now, because my wasted vote I feel a bit bad and like I did not participate even though I did.
2
As I'm sure others have pointed out, for every election not decided by a one vote margin, no vote makes a difference, whether it's for the winner or the loser. If you actually want to "matter," you need to be far more involved in the process than just adding a one to your favored candidates tally. With donations and action, you can multiply your difference by one hundred, maybe 500 -- possibly enough to swing the election in Florida in 2000 (the one that changed the future of our planet).
Or you can whine about that all important symbolic gesture that didn't have the magnificent impact you'd imagined it would because you cast it a few days too early. Or whatever the logic is behind this column.
I have never heard one realistic counterpoint to the statement that, in CA, my vote doesn’t matter.
Even if I ended up voting for the candidate who will make it to the general, the electoral college makes my CA voice irrelevant.
3
I did the same. I filled out my ballot before Super Tuesday. That day, while it was still in the mailbox, I considered retrieving it to change my vote, but decided to hold my ground. For nothing, it turns out, as everyone else was soon to abdicate.
Early voting, like absentee voting, should be viewed as an option of last resort - to be used only when the voter cannot physically make it to the polls on election day. Democracy requires the occasional inconvenience.
3
Join the club. I am a resident of New Mexico, one of the last states to vote in the primary. Now you know how the rest of us feel.
3
I live in Oregon. Decades ago, few states had primaries and Oregon voters got courted by the candidates. The primary was, and still is, in May, so now no one even pays us a never mind. But I vote anyway. It makes me feel good. Timothy, you voted too early. Me, I get to vote too late. We'll both get to vote on time in November.
1
You'd think a newspaper columnist would know better. I also live in Seattle, but I knew that the slate of candidates was in flux. I waited until after Super Tuesday and then I mailed in my ballot. With just two candidates left (no reason to count DJT or Tulsi), there was no point waiting any longer and no need for a second choice ranking. Maybe another time there will be; but why complicate things now?
1
You can have a ton of influence. But you need to pick up the phone, talk to people, send emails, make donations, pressure those in power. Want to beat Trump? Stop whining and make it happen. Biden can barely finish a thought, he sure needs all the help he can get. And voter suppression is real but what you experienced is not it.
2
It's not hard to predict that the field will narrow after Super Tuesday.
However, you can still vote by mail even at the last minute. Maybe something to keep in mind for the future. As long as it's postmarked on election day, your ballot will be counted.
At least in Illinois, those are the rules.
1
Once some of the early candidates started to drop out, like Harris, and Booker, it gave me pause to hold my automatic mail-in ballot until Super Tuesday eve. I donated the max to one candidate who was gone by primary day, so I voted as if it was the general election. No doubt others in California voted too early, but we had not voted this early in the cycle in many elections. At least everyone I spoke with was focused on defeating Trump.
2
My procrastination finally pays off! I told my wife to wait before she voted for Amy a couple of weeks ago, that there might be other variables to consider. But she insisted on voted with her heart== for a candidate that recently endorsed Joe Biden.
We Washingtonians will live and learn from this. Tim was probably so eager to finally have a say in choosing the president that jumped too soon at the opportunity. I can't blame him. We in Seattle have been ignored even though we're often the epicenter of technology, aerospace, pop culture, and now coronavirus.
Wait till after Super Tuesday next time, Tim.
2
As a fellow Washingtonian I also was diligent, voted early and mailed in my ballot, only to see my favorite candidate drop out. So much for my vote. Timothy Egan is right; wait and vote at the last minute. Live and learn.
1
As a resident of Washington State, I waited for the results of Super Tuesday and its aftermath before completing my convenient mail-in ballot. I had planned to vote for Warren, but when she dropped out I switched to my second choice, who's still in the race. I mailed my ballot on Friday -- in plenty of time to reach the bean counters before today's primary closes. I heartily recommend this strategy to fellow Washingtonians in future primaries!
But I would strongly discourage you from following Timothy Egan's advice -- i.e., to wait until Election Day to complete your ballot. If you do that in Washington, you're just exacerbating the problem of slow vote counting without gaining anything at all.
3
Here in MI we were allowed to go "spoil" our absentee ballot (as long as we turned it in before 8 PM tonite) and revote. Once Liz Warren dropped out, I went to my township clerk and revoted. She said there were a lot of people doing the same thing that week.
3
I did the same. For once Michigan does something right.
I vote with an Overseas Ballot for Washington State - (stamp required) and I too voted early (Canada Post is not as reliable as the USPS) for a candidate that has since dropped out. Vote wasted. During those painful debates I wanted to hear the message that those on stage were not enemies but that Trump is the only enemy and must go. Sadly, two white elderly men are running and honestly only one can oust the demon. I guess the time for a (or another) minority (women, LGBT etc.) president will have to be tabled until 2024. Mr. Egan, I also wish I could have had a second choice on my ballot.
2
I wish Americans would stop calling ourselves the "Most Advanced Nation" on the planet; we can't even *do* Democracy efficiently.
A national election should have a national primary: One primary- one election. But-of-course, that "States Rights" thing gets in the way- everyone wants to be first.
If everyone was first (and only) we wouldn't have the problem of candidates dropping out before every vote was cast:This makes too much sense- so it will never happen.
5
I'm not sure if others have made this point, but some form of ranked choice voting would alleviate this problem (among many others). If your top choice drops out your "next" choice would apply.
3
I mailed in my vote for Amy Klobuchar just 4 days before the California primary, but even that was too early. I knew when I filled out the ballet that she almost certainly wouldn't win, so it didn't really matter. And now if the eventual Dem nominee loses to Trump, I can feel smug that my choice might have beaten him.
Ranked choice voting is the way to go.
A great byproduct is that it will hurt the extremists on all sides.
4
My candidate also dropped out. I voted (early) for Elizabeth Warren. My disappointment is very real, because, in looking over the candidates, who remain, I am still not certain that any one can beat Trump. Sigh...….
1
I don't think any votes are wasted. I strongly agree ranked choice voting would yield better results and greater participation.
4
Yep, me too. Bummer.
Don
Lacey, WA
1
Your vote is equally meaningless whether the loser you voted for drops out before or after you vote. In your bleak view, only the people who vote for the eventual winner don't 'waste' their vote. I can infer from your whining that you didn't vote for Biden. For whom did you vote? I just happily filled out my Washington primary ballot for Liz Warren, even though she's been out for awhile. I hope you voted for her, too.
3
Why on earth would you vote weeks ahead of time in a primary? (Other than to have a topic for a column). There's no good reason to submit an early ballot, especially in a volatile, overcrowded primary where multiple candidates were certain to drop out.
The ballots only have to be postmarked on election day, so submitting it early only means that your vote will be counted earlier. Not surprisingly, younger (and more liberal) voters tend to drop their ballots off closer to the deadline (as seen in Sawant's massive comeback in the Seattle City Council after the later ballots were counted. I would expect a similar bump for Sanders in WA over the next few days as the ballots are counted after the "polls" close).
Mail in ballots allow everyone equal access to voting (especially now they are -- rightly -- post paid in WA state), and it only takes a moment to drop it in the mail box or one of the drop boxes scattered throughout the city. I do miss the opportunity to chat with my neighbors at the polls, but it is more important that life concerns (work, childcare, or these days, quarantine) do not prevent one from voting.
Any ranked voting would have to have multiple tiers to account for multiple candidates dropping out. This is the first time that Washington will have a say in a yet-to-be-decided primary (ooh, exciting), but a same-day primary for all states would make more sense, especially if there are ranked choices.
3
Like others, I voted for Klobuchar and mailed in my ballot the day before she dropped out. Had there been a ranked choice option, I would have voted for Warren, because we need someone as President who thinks like a smart woman, not like a bull headed finger wagging spouting shouting demagogue. Oh well. Maybe in 20 years that will happen.
Frank Mitchell
1
I waited until after Super Tuesday... and boy, am I glad I did so!
1
When does early voting begin for President? I am eager to vote for Trump / Pence but do not wish to wait till November.
2
We mailed in our Michigan ballots before Super Tuesday too, then our candidate dropped out. The good news in Michigan is--we went to the city clerk and 'spoiled our vote'. The clerk destroyed the original ballot and gave us new ballots and voted again right there. Michigan does make voting easy. A mid term 2018 ballot inititive passed and we can vote by mail now for any reason. Also can register and vote on election day. Good idea for all 50 states!
1
It is not just the dropout factor that can lead to voter remorse. The candidate one supports may say or do something really stupid, or new information may come ou about him or her that reduces the validity of supporting them. On the other end of the spectrum, another candidate may present a platform plank so desirable that one's support may switch.
This is why I am opposed to the early voting process in general. At least here in Western NY, I have never waited more than 10 minutes before being able to cast my vote, and by showing up on Election Day, I can be sure that my vote is based on the most current information.
I voted early for Klobuchar in North Carolina (a Super Tuesday state). D'oh! Like Egan, I won't do that again--but I won't swear off early voting entirely. For a November election, it seems perfectly okay. Yes, the Democratic nominee might turn out to be an axe murderer at the eleventh hour; I'll still take that chance against Trump.
1
Tim, I was hoping you would take this opportunity to extol the virtues of ranked choice voting!
2
Another way to have zero influence on the presidential primary, usually, is to live in NY State. At least when you voted was something within your control.
1
In Colorado we can vote by mail. No reason to do so before election day. Don't.
Coronavirus may make for a skewed vote this year. My anger & disgust at Mcconnell is at its highest when I read of people waiting 7 hours to cast a vote.
May Dems take the House, Senate & White House. May they "pull a McConnell" to suspend the filibuster to pass voting rights, simple registration and ID simplification, voting holiday and the offer of free, standardized voting systems with paper backup to every state. The states have constitutional authority to establish electoral methods. But if they choose to be unfair to their fellow Americans and deny their fellows their most precious democratic right, they will be known and those states can be boycotted going forward.
Why am I not surprised by all the handwringing from the "victims" that can't accept the responsibility and consequences of "voting early"?
Come on, folks, time to understand that the choices that you make are your own, and your own alone.
Many years ago, in a local school board election, my dad was just to0 exhausted to haul his tail out of his easy chair and go vote. Finally, guilt overcame tired, and he got down to the polling place just before 9pm (NYS polls closed at 9 then).
His choice won by one vote.
A couple of years ago, in Virginia, control of the State Senate came down to a tie in one district. SOMEHOW, the tie-breaking "random" selection kept the Senate Republican. Every Dem who sat home, too tired, could kick themselves.
I only early-voted when I was away at college and had to vote by absentee ballot. Since then, I vote on election day. Because anything can happen up till the day before.
"A lot can happen in a year.
The Emperor could die.
I could die.
The horse could die.
Or maybe the horse COULD learn to sing!"
242
@Dadof2 believe many absentee vote systems allow votes to be postmarked on the election day, so there's still no need to cast the vote early
6
@UWSer
That's the case in California. You can also turn it in on election day at a polling place.
9
@UWSer-Some states have found ways to block absentee votes from counting: 'They are actually suppressing votes’: Pa. voters abroad are blocked from state election website'...."Thousands of registered Pennsylvania voters who live outside the United States are being blocked from accessing absentee ballots on the state's website in a move intended to beef up election security.”
http://www2.philly.com/philly/news/pa-uocava-voters-unable-access-absentee-ballot-site-20181002.html
4
I don't agree with the esteemed Mr Egan, a fellow Washingtonian. I voted Warren even after she dropped out. She may end up with delegates with which to bargain. Still the best choice although Klobuchar is good (so was Harris.) I like Joe, I like Bernie. Whoever is the nominee, we'll need a very strong VP due to the age of all the front runners.
I get a laugh out of Trump when he says he wants to rule for another 25 years. What will they do when he's 103? Roll him out on a cart? He barely makes any sense now.
3
Here in Michigan, those who voted early have the ability to reclaim their ballot and vote again. Definitely a hassle, but it can be done. Not so in Washington?
I hope the election commission in WA will publish the number of votes cast for the disappeared candidates. I can see why Mr. Egan did what he did—being conscientious to be sure his ballot was in on time. I personally know that at least six family members in two states voted early for Warren and feel the same way Mr. Egan does. Our household decided to wait until after Super Tuesday. We are thrilled that our votes will have real meaning this time. One upside for those who did vote for drop-outs is that they pushed up the turnout statistics. Higher turnout should persuade candidates, and subsequently, elected officials, to take voters more seriously.
The entire primary process is broken. My State won't vote until May, when everything is basically decided except for the final candidates standing. Just like the electoral college, the small states have out-sized impact on elections in primaries held over months.
Why are primaries held in chunks while the general is all done on one day?? Yes, it allows candidates to be present in states without having to visit all states (is that good or bad-if they had 3 more months to cover everyone?).
The other byproduct of the primary process is that the candidates focus on the fringes, where the most active and motivated voters are, since they show up for primaries. If all state primaries happened over a weekend, and early voting was allowed, more folks would participate.
And if the results did not create a majority or even plurality, the top two could have a runoff election prior to the conventions.
But the current system is broken and the current President is the poster child of what can go wrong.
1
People will complain about anything. Even highly educated, sophisticated people like Mr. Egan who know exactly how the system works. I'm also a Washington State voter and I also use a mail-in ballot, but knowing how the primaries work I mailed my ballot today. Easy solution.
1
Like Mr. Egan, I also voted early for a candidate who has since dropped out.
However, I cast my vote for the person who I believed, and still believe, was the best-qualified to be our president. Is that not the core idea of voting?
The fact that more of my fellow citizens did not share my opinion does not diminish my vote. If my preferred candidate ended up deciding that they could not win the nomination, so be it. I still think "my guy" would have been the best one to help our nation recover from the Trump disaster
I do see and understand the argument that waiting until the field has narrowed to finalists has merit, but so does my early choice. I helped show where the initial preferences lay.
2
My guess: most early voters in WA did not vote Biden. More likely Warren. And also note, Warren and Sanders have very similar opinions on policy. So the decision to go Biden might be primarily based in fear of losing to Trump. And it might be based in flimsy arguments like Sanders is considered too cranky and socialist. Or that "Bernie Bros" are mean. I think it's a mistake to vote out of fear. Sanders is a better debater, a better thinker, and his ideas are in-line with what I think MOST people in Washington want implemented. I'm not sure what Biden stands for, nor do I think he'll be a good president. When Dems replace Trump, we need to crush it. Will Joe Biden crush it? Or just flail around for four years doing the same old same old? Insurance companies want Biden. Drug companies want Biden. That tells you something.
2
@PE I agree. I deliberately waited to vote until after Super Tuesday. Biden scares me. The Democrats had dozens of talented candidates at the beginning of the Primary process and are we really going to end up with the least inspiring of the bunch? The thing about Bernie is he is inspiring young people and New Democratic constituencies and Biden is attracting older people that reliably vote. So instead of working hard to bring new people into the party the Democrats are opting to go with what they hope will ultimately stop the insanity that currently occupies the White House. I really, really hope they’re right.
2
I voted at the start of early voting in Illinois and not for either of the remaining candidates. C'est la vie. I won't vote so early again in a primary, but it will be no problem for the general election, since I'll never consider voting for a Republican again. Never again.
1
I am mailing my WA State ballot today. My spouse had to reopen and correct a ballot today before mailing. It didn't make sense to me to vote before Super Tuesday narrowed the field. And this WA State moved up the primary in 2020 by months so it happens before its all over nationally.
Frankly I wasn't excited by the remaining choices but I feel Sanders is the riskier one and voted for Biden, who was smart to start talking about his Cabinet.
In any case, I see Biden winning easily across WA State. Our governor, Jay Inslee, (who the President just called a "snake", maybe because he believes in climate change?), is a moderate who has represented WA in both conservative and progressive US House Districts. He follows other Democratic moderate WA Governors like Chris Gregoire and Gary Locke.
Bernie won the WA caucuses in 2016 because they favored a smaller, more activist part of the Party, and have less than half the voter participation of the WA 2016 primary, which voted overwhelmingly for Clinton. The caucus has been eliminated for 2020.
Have to run, to get my ballot in the mail today.
3
My advice, to anyone who would listen, was wait until after Super Tuesday before completing your ballot, for this very reason. Multiple drop-outs were entirely predictable. Tim Egan is a very bright fellow (a Seattle treasure, in fact) so I'm surprised he didn't figure this out on his own.
5
By the time we got our ballots in WA state there was basically 3 candidates left, Warren, Biden and Sanders. I wanted to vote for Warren but we waited to see if she'd drop out after Super Tuesday and she did so we went ahead and filled out our ballots and sent them back.
I'm just grateful that we no longer have to caucus to decide who wins our state in the primary. You'll get the hang of when to send your ballot in early and when to wait.
2
Sorry, but no votes are "wasted" votes unless you voted for someone you didn't support or you don't vote at all. It's the downside of early voting, but the upside to it outweighs that.
2
I live in Nevada & we had a caucus where we did rank candidates, and this year we had early voting as well. I chose to early vote at the university on President's Day, which meant my wait time was about 10 minutes. Most Nevadans weren't so lucky; many waited 2-4 hours in line, and for those who attended the caucus, it seemed to go better than in past years, thanks to early voting; even so, the average wait time was a few hours. I totally agree that our electoral system is deeply broken & that this nation is a pale shadow of its former self. I wonder when exactly democracy is coming to the U.S.A.?
1
What we need is a National Primary Day.
Candidates cannot announce until Jan. 2nd
of the election year.
Primary Day can then be held on April 1st.
All parties vote on possible candidates on a single day.
The out right winners can campaign until the election.
The too close to call can slug it out at the convention.
ANYTHING to shorten the process, reduce the ads and
eliminate voter fatigue and complacency.
5
I voted in California by absentee ballot which means my vote will still be counted.
I voted for Elizabeth Warren so I am not sure whether to count that as a wasted vote or not.
If she had not been on the ballot or had dropped out, I don't know who I would have voted for as none of the choices - Biden, Bloomberg or Sanders were who I would have chosen - but for different reasons.
Frankly the only thing I care about is defeating Trump in 2020 and hopefully changing the Senate so that some of the horrors of his administration could be undone.
I don't think Sanders would be able to enact his platform even if both houses were Democratic and I don't think Biden would have an administration significantly different than that of Obama or Clinton.
2
Let’s have that talk about Ranked Choice! How do we make that happen?
4
Look at the weight of your vote by state. There is nothing “democratic” in the sense of one person one vote in these nomination races. So you voted for the person you wanted - your voice is still being heard and might effect the party plank in the end. Next time we might start with two candidates - will you still not vote early? And if you are mailing in, what’s the big deal in waiting?
One would think devoting critical opinion space in America's Newspaper of Record to complain about a self inflicted "loss" at a moment when the world is faced with a health care crisis of "possible" pandemic proportions would be flat out embarrassing.
But for Mr. Egan and others of his generation, nothing supersedes their inalienable right to WHINE when a slight is perceived and a promise of personal convenience is not held sacrosanct.
Voting on Election Day, rather than days or weeks BEFORE election day usually means there will be no wasting of a vote for a candidate who can't win.
But, as we learned in 2016, Voting for a guaranteed "lock" like Hillary Clinton who couldn't possibly lose to the likes of Donald Trump and then does so, while refusing to take any of the responsibility for inflicting Donald Trump on the world.? Now, there's where Whining about Wasting a Vote is fully justified.
2
Have you checked your options? In Michigan, we can "spoil" our first ballot and vote again. Three of us in our family voted again, and it was easy as pie. A short form to fill out, a state issued ID, and a new ballot.
1
Mr. Egan should try living in a state that is 49th on the list of primaries (New Jersey). We never have any say in who the candidate is. Zilch. Talk about wasted votes. A national primary with a runoff is needed to give every American a voice.
4
Amen. We in NJ go after Somoa and Americans living outside the US. One primary day is needed!
I voted early for a candidate who dropped out after Super Tuesday. I do not see my vote as a empty vote as I had the opportunity to vote in California on Super Tuesday (our first one here) for the woman candidate I felt was the most qualified. Warren dropped out soon after, but I hope her views and policies may be added to the party platform.
Given a redo based on who is still on the race, my vote would be for Biden even though I am a liberal progressive senior citizen. Bernie hurt himself by insulting Warren and allowing his "Bros" to go after women. Given that fact that Warren is out of the race now, I agree with SC that Biden is the person to back to assure our sanity and road back to Democracy in this country. I want as close to "no drama" Obama that is possible and a person that waves their arms all the time and has visited Russia is not calm enough for me (Bernie). I do believe all need Medicare, especially what we are seeing in this pandemic, but I know the challenge of down ballot candidates all being installed into office. I do not believe Bernie can do more than hold the White House and be blocked at every step from accomplishing Medicare for All given his track record of trashing the "establishment" and not helping down ballot candidates. If Bernie does win the primaries instead of Biden, I would vote for him in the general election. Will Bernie bros vote for Biden in the end if he wins primaries? This is the big question.
1
@Rebecca Do you realize that many Sanders's supporters are women? Stop being so dismissive. "Bernie bros" as a stand-in for "Sanders supporters" erases his women supporters. I've never been able to figure out why so many Democrats eagerly throw women under the bus and do it in the name of supporting women.
Early voting is an important option and to say you'll never again utilize it reflects an immense position of privilege where you are able to devote time to going to the polls on election day.
I'm in the same position but think that a more interesting conclusion to derive from our wasted votes would be that we should switch to ranked choice voting in the primaries! If your first choice candidate has dropped out of the race or is not viable, your vote would got to your second choice, etc! No wasted votes, the leisure to vote early, and a methodology that is more likely to buoy consensus candidates!
1
Nonsense. You can cast your ballot by mail up to and including the day of the election. If you choose to do it a month before the election for no good reason and things change— well, that’s on you.
Enough about “privilege” already. Statements like that are why Republicans hate us.
This is rank sentimentality. Your vote, my vote, any individual vote is trivial. Exaggerating it in this way is simply avoiding the reality of our political responsibilities, which cannot be cordoned into the individual gestures of a mass franchise when a Trump-scale institutional emergency has erupted.
3
I understand your frustration, but I think all of us need to be patient in taking time to fill out our ballots- whether voting early or voting by mail.
2
The author's determination to never vote early again seems completely wrongheaded to me. If someone is trying to suppress his vote, for example by purging him from the rolls, and he shows up at the polling place on the first day of early voting, there's time to do something about it. I voted for Warren before the South Carolina primary myself and don't feel robbed. Indeed, because she didn't win any of the first three states, I felt blessed to be able to vote for whom I perceived to be the best candidate despite the fact she would probably drop out.
2
IMO primaries are just the members of a club deciding which member to pool their resources behind for the actual election. Democratic ideals don't apply and shouldn't be expected.
This may depend on local rules but I assume that a candidate's decision to "drop out" doesn't disqualify them from still being elected if they happen to get a majority so I wouldn't say that your vote didn't count. You can still even write in your favorite candidate in the general election.
I would rather critique the actual election process that results in a two party system.
Through sheer procrastination, I hung on to my ballot until a week before Election Day, at which point there were two viable candidates left on it and a big crowd of candidates who had dropped out. I've made a mental note to do the same next time there's a primary.
1
As a former resident of Wisconsin, I share your frustration. By the time we even got a cast a primary vote, many candidates (often one I would have supported) had dropped out. So my choice was usually limited to the top two "establishment" candidates.
1
You can look at this situation two ways. First, If you voted early, and your candidate is no longer in the running, then you have no one to blame but yourselves for that. You should waited. Secondly, it's not a wasted vote. You choose the candidate you wanted to represent the democratic party. Unfortunately, they didn't make it through.
7
If we had mailed in our Washington State ballots early Amy would have had two more votes from this household. We never wanted Sanders and our vote to stop him would have been wasted.
3
Just another argument showcase the need for RANKED CHOICE VOTING NATIONWIDE
6
Cheer up, Mr. Egan: the premise of your regret is bogus. Your vote wouldn't have mattered anyway.
Do the math: one person will not change the outcome of any presidential primary election, no matter whom they vote for. In a tiny precint, there's a non-zero chance that a single vote could tip the balance, but no delegates are awarded by precinct. Delegates are only awarded district-wide and state-wide, and in those oceans of tens and hundreds of thousands of votes, adding or withholding a single drop makes no measurable difference.
There may be plenty of good and sound reasons why people should vote, and also why people should wait until election day to do so. Maybe. But "influence on the outcome" is not a good reason. Your vote's "influence on the outcome" is statistically zero.
1
I guess there's a difference between "early voting" and "premature voting"?
Why did you vote so early? You only need to ensure that your early ballot arrives by election day -- not days or weeks ahead.
Early voting is a great convenience. But like going to the ballot box, it should be used judiciously.
4
More evidence of the need for ranked voting.
5
I know how you feel. However I NEEDED to cast my vote for the person I thought was best able to be the President I thought we needed. A person who had policies! A person who hadn't drunk the presidential 'kool-aid'. I kind of knew who was going to be 1 & 2; but I felt I had to make my statement.
4
I waited until after Super Tuesday to cast my ballot in Washington. If your vote is dependent on the outcomes in prior states elections, you should wait to drop it off until then. You didn't, and that's too bad, but your vote would've had the same value if that candidate hadn't dropped out. I'm sure that will make you feel a lot better.
At least you got to vote! My state won't vote for weeks yet, so we have no say whatsoever.
Why can't primaries be held all on the same day, like regular voting. Then all candidates and voters would have an equal chance. Especially if we went for ranked choice voting.
1
@Judith
I chose to be registered as Independent to avoid the onslaught of phone calls, emails and requests for money.
So while I cannot cast a primary vote (in Delaware on April 28th--will it matter?)
I trust a candidate will emerge who will win in November!
Everybody should vote at the same time in an election, which means that we should spend the money and endure the social inconvenience of making this possible. We need enough polling stations so that all can quickly vote, and we need to schedule our elections so that it does not cost anyone money or vacation time to do so. (Election days should be weekends or holidays.)
2
I'm wondering why you voted before Election Day. Isn't a day of voting supposed to be a type of citizen responsibility, a show of solidarity, as we all march out together and cast our votes? Stand in line with your neighbors and fellow human beings and participate in the great democracy - voting is not an individual, private act, it's a shared social responsibility.
1
Actually, the shared responsibility is the act of voting itself, not for whom you vote.
1
I too live in WA, and I too voted early, before "Super Tuesday" and the candidate I voted for (Amy Klobuchar ) dropped out.
Given the incompetence demonstrated especially in CA with long lines and long waits, I'm not ready to dismiss mail-in voting. I do however, favor ranked choice voting, not only in primaries but also in the actual elections - but for a different reason.
Ranked choice voting is but one of the many suggestions I have for a radical overhaul of the US Constitution, because our current Constitutional governance is, at best, on life support, at worst already brain dead.
Ranked Choice Voting, along with majority rather than plurality elections, would make it more feasible for new political parties to participate in our governance. Both the GOP and Dems take the "Big Tent" approach in order to accommodate multiple, often quite different social and political philosophies within the two-party system, and thus to maintain their stranglehold on American politics and elections - note: political parties have NO Constitutional legitimacy.
The effect of that is to prevent voters from expressing their true, more nuanced social and political preferences beyond the virtually meaningless "conservative"/"liberal" dichotomy.
See
https://www.amazon.com/Our-Democracy-Dying-Unites-Constitution-ebook/dp/B07XN66MNL
on a fairly comprehensive proposal for a new Constitution, where abolishing the two-party stranglehold is only one of many proposals.
2
Totally share Mr. Egan’s pain at the presidential level (Super Tuesday early vote). My votes did count in a large number of other races, and I avoided the 8-hour lines voter suppression has led to here on the official election day, so I’ll take the trade-off. Some form of ranked voting would have been helpful, but not likely in Texas anytime soon.
Any reasonable citizen understands that voting one month before the primary (an eternity in the political landscape) increases the risk that the politician they voted for may no longer be a viable candidate. I also agree that we could have also done without the shade towards Sanders.
2
Presidential primaries, for the reasons you mention, should never be voted by mail for the very reasons you mention. I switched from Buttigieg to Biden after South Carolina, and my resolve was reinforced after Pete dropped out.
But it is campaigns that urge people to vote early -- so they can get votes into the "bank" that they don't have to worry about on Election Day. But that does great disservice to other candidates and propositions on the ballot. People need time to study those candidates and issues -- or something might happen in the campaigns to change their minds (as occurred here). People, please, refrain from voting early unless you really, truly will be out of town on Election Day. Campaigns and elections are not static.
Sorry if someone already posted this: if you read the Voters Pamphlet sent out by the state, it said that of all the candidates listed some would drop out by the actual voting date. The state always sends the pamphlet early so maybe if they’d waited this wouldn’t have been a problem for so many.
I have an idea. Why not have every Democrat vote on the same day, and there are no results from the Eastern states revealed early or anything. The results are all released at one time at the end, after everyone has voted. People vote for who they actually want to vote for in this case as opposed to the best of the "realistic" candidates, as gleaned from early results.
1
I voted early for Warren. Whatever happens, I expressed my preference. The rest is beyond my control.
5
I vote early in the General election because I vote Democrat, always. Voting in the primary or at the caucus tells the party what you want the platform to be going forward. I voted for Bernie in the 2016 caucus to pull the party to the left but knew I was voting for HRC in the general. Bernie was never a real choice. He is not a democrat but some of his ideas could be part of a platform that I could support.
And, here we are. 50 years of voting for the progressive agenda and the contest is between old white men, again.
@CMK: Fun fact: the last two standing in the Democratic primaries hasn’t been “old white men” since 2004.
But nice knee jerk reaction.
I was in a similar situation in Arizona. I waited til the last minute and voted for Biden instead of my first choice. Our primary is a week later than Washington’s but there was more than a week to spare. This is not rocket science.
I vote in the AZ primary, which is next week. This morning I mailed in my ballot with a vote for Warren. In November, I will vote for whichever old white man is the Democratic nominee and I will do it with a smile on my face, but for right now I'm extremely disappointed with my choices and I wanted to vote for the person I think was the best candidate.
2
Here in Maryland our primary isn't until 28 April, so my vote is useless. That being said, I'll still go to the polls and cast my presidential vote for Pete Buttigieg. He's no longer in the race, but he's the candidate I felt would make the best president and who shared my values, and that's how we're supposed to vote.
The state of MI allows absentee ballots to be “spoiled” and another ballot issued. It does require a visit to the clerks office any time prior to Election Day. Not as convenient as ranked voting but does allow for a vote change.
I have learned something, too: From now on I will hold onto my ballot until a few days after Super Tuesday. It only needs to be postmarked by the day of the election.
D
1
Same thing happened to me - voted for Klobuchar early. If Sanders pulls out a win in WA because of this, I'm not going to be happy. But, I've sure learned my lesson about voting early... never again
218
@Patricia, Me too. I early voted for Amy in NC, but I was fortunate because my second choice won. But I am done with early voting.
11
@Patricia I waited and voted for Bernie. I waited because I wanted to see how Elizabeth did on Super Tuesday. Bernie will most likely win Washington but you’ll ultimately get your wish and will get a moderate, completely uninspiring candidate who hopefully can win on the platform that most people really hate Trump.
10
@Patricia You can't spoil your vote and revote if your candidate drops out? You can here in Michigan.
7
So, if I understand the thrust of this article, the act of voting, in and of itself, doesn’t really matter. What really matters is that the person you selected stayed around long enough. Hmmm.
3
I waited until after Super Tuesday. I still voted for Elizabeth Warren, even though I knew she’d not win and would likely drop out, which she did the day after I dropped my ballot in the box.
I have no regrets; I still believe she was the best person on the ballot. I’ll vote for Biden (or Bernie) when November rolls around but without enthusiasm. VP pick is going to be more important than ever to bring people to the polls.
6
I have to admit that I voted for Warren, after she had already dropped out. Why, you may ask? Because I have long wanted to vote for a woman of action, ideas, leadership and the highest integrity to become president. We didn’t have that option in 2016, and I’m not sure if I’ll get another chance in the next few cycles. Did I waste my vote? Well yes, in terms of contributing to the delegate count of either Joe or Bernie from Washington state. But in terms of believing in an idea and wanting to at least go through the motion of filling in the bubble on the mail-in ballot next to her name, no, I don’t think I wasted my vote in this primary.
10
Early voting is a boon to shift workers, multi-job workers, parents of young children, and the like. The problem is not with early voting: it is the lack of ranked choice voting, which would have allowed the author to designate which of the other candidates were his second, third, fourth etc. choices if his preferred candidate withdrew. The Democrats should institute RCV in all primaries.
3
It would indeed usually make sense to wait especially for voters who want to choose between remaining candidates.
However some voters will still choose candidates who have suspended their campaigns especially if they perceive the remaining active candidates as equally flawed or favorable..
I waited and ultimately decided to vote for Warren in hopes of providing her and her policy proposals more chance of influencing the party platform and perhaps being ultimately implemented. In addition, there is the slight chance that she will become the nominee should neither of the remaining two last through the convention.
It will be best to leave time of casting ballots up to each person rather than having a cumbersome and expensive process for recalling ballots. Voters should be informed and smart enough to figure out when to vote.
3
Don't stress. I waited, and then couldn't make my mind and voted "undeclared."
Wish I had just voted earlier,.honestly.
1
I was an election officer in Virginia for the presidential preference primary. There were 14 candidates on the ballot, of which all but 5 had suspended their campaign before March 3. Despite that fact, in my precinct 13 of the candidates received at least one vote. Were they protest votes/ Wishful thinking votes? I don't know. The people who voted for those candidates, I am sure, didn't think they were wasting their vote. The voters could have gone home without voting, if they so desired, but they didn't.
My wife and I vote in Washington State, which is our permanent residence. We realized that the list of Democratic contenders was dynamic, no we chose to wait until the last minute to vote, which turned out to be a good strategy.
1
I've always loved Texas' early voting, but this time it came back to bite me. My candidate dropped out the day before our primary, throwing the delegates to someone I would never vote for. It truly did not occur to me that that might happen.
One good thing about the Democrat Party's ballot this year was that there were lots of name on it; most Republicans have run unopposed for at least the last 30 years. Of course, most of the Democrats won't win, but it at least gives the illusion of choice.
Ranked choice voting is a great idea. We have it for city races in Oakland. That way you can vote for your favorite candidate without having to play mind games over how everyone else will vote. But though I understand the frustration of people who voted early for a candidate who later dropped out, I don’t think your vote counted for nothing. It is not much different from simply voting for a candidate who didn’t win. You lent your support to that candidate with your vote, and if enough people had agreed with you, he or she would still be in the race.
3
The sensible thing to do is, if you want your vote to matter, is to vote after candidates are likely to drop out.
In the authors case and mine, that was after the results of Super Tuesday. The only candidate that was guaranteed before SC was probably Bernie Sanders, and unless that was your vote, you should have waited.
Personally, I wanted to vote for Warren, but was sensible enough to wait until the results of ST. Once it was obvious that her delegate count was going to be irrelevant, I redirected my vote.
1
I nearly mailed my vote by mail ballot early and I am glad I didn't. My vote for Elizabeth Warren would not have counted next Tuesday March 17 here in Ohio. But I am not giving up on voting by mail. I believe that making voting easier is key to increasing voter participation. I'll just wait to mail my ballot for a presidential primary election until the landscape is clearer. However, as you point out, ranked voting is the answer to this problem.
I fail to understand why any voter would file their return so early, before the candidate list has settled down, unless of course, they expected to be absent (or worse, die) before the election date. I live and vote in Oregon. We were the pioneering state with mail-in ballots. I don't need to assert my "specialness" by being an early voter - it's not going to get counted any sooner than others, and I don't get any "brownie-points" by being first. Perhaps those who DO vote early think they are being more responsible than others. Who knows what their rationale is.? I live near the County's Courthouse, so I honor the tradition of voting by taking my ballot to the drop-box at the Courthouse. I could mail it, but mail gets lost - believe me, I've had mail go astray frequently. A vote, especially this year, is a very precious thing and should not be wasted or lost. Wait until all the candidate dust settles, and then vote your conscience (or whatever else you use as a surrogate!).
1
Some good news, Tim. I also voted for a candidate who has dropped out. But I called the state Democratic party folks and though they told me I couldn't change my vote, they reassured me that my candidate can easily transfer his delegates to another candidate. And since my candidate has already endorsed the one candidate I would have changed to, I'm confidant that my delegates will go to that candidate. Hope that's reassuring to all posters here.
2
Exactly what they told us in Florida, that Pete will transfer to Biden.
Not sure if a county election official speaks the word of law or party by laws but I hope it’s correct.
When someone asked me if I got a receipt for my vote including the choice I made I said no. But then I realized I never got one in person either.
Perhaps it’s too easy to hack or abuse a receipt system but with all the party chicanery today I would like to have a record.
This seems a bit melodramatic to me. I live in California, a state that encourages vote by mail. More of my friends than usual had held onto their ballots and sent them in a day or two before the deadline.
In California at least, there are many other offices and propositions on the ballot that take some time to research, and those can be filled in ahead of schedule.
Suggestion for everyone: hold a ballot party! Having some wine and friends around is a great motivation for people who might otherwise not get around to it.
2
I held off on casting my Washington primary vote earlier for much the same reason - I wanted to be sure to reinforce the chances of whichever ‘moderate’ D emerged as the leader of the (now former) pack after Super Tuesday. I didn’t think I was being all that clever at the time, but judging by this column and some of the comments, maybe I should have gone for that physics-astronomy double major after all.
2
I am surprised at how many of my fellow Washingtonians apparently never thought that the race might change before our primary date. When my first Facebook friend in WA posted "I VOTED!" right after we got our ballots, I responded that I was waiting until closer to the actual date. Her candidate (Klobuchar) dropped out, so there's another wasted vote. Glad to see, Tim, that you're not blaming anyone else.
1
Agee. Same thing happened to me. Here in FL , my winter home, my wise friends all waited to see what would happen on Super Tuesday and today, allowing them to have a vote that really counts on March 17th.
The political parties are still in the transition to something like democracy, from the days of the bosses and the conventions deciding the candidates for us.
Delegates, super-delegates . . . maybe the final counts each candidate receives through the end of the primaries should not bind the delegates in any way at the conventions.
Obviously, the candidate with the highest count after the primaries may be the most popular. Thus, convention delegates would be wise not to entirely ignore that measure of popularity. But, maybe, the best candidate in the general election is not the one who "rides into the convention" with the nomination locked up. Trump is just "Exhibit A" in that regard.
The capabilities of our presidents have not improved over the presidential candidates' who were chosen when the conventions, often through several floor votes, arrived at the candidate. The "batting average" for presidents from Carter to the present is not better, maybe worse, than their predecessors'.
Even Reagan or Bush the elder, Clinton, or Obama for all their effectiveness as presidents, are not in the same league as the Roosevelts, Taft, Wilson,Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, or Nixon. The old systems gave us some lesser lights, e.g. Hoover or Coolidge (who some now view more favorably than before).
The old systems cost less and took up much less media time, and hype. Also, it's not clear that running a campaign today is sufficient to equip one to be a good president.
1
I also live in Washington state but unlike Mr. Egan my vote is going to count because I waited to vote until yesterday. The ballot that arrived in the mail weeks ago had about a dozen names on it some of whom had already dropped out. It was clear that more of the candidates were going to drop out after Super Tuesday before our primary so it seemed sensible to wait. Sometimes the early bird is not the one that gets the worm.
You will indeed vote before election day again.
And you didn't but no grumbling allowed (except for when I have a complaint....a little levity or am I "cancelled" already...more levity) ...in a state with the SUPREME good fortune of NOT STANDING IN LINE FOR HOURS. L O V E I T !!!
(I see what happens in the bible belt especially....yee ghads....no wonder Americans don't vote.....gee, good thing the republicans dont know that long lines discourage voting)
Please, Elizabeth, get back in the race.
And Mario Cuomo's mother had a name, did she? Just for the record, like the NYT itself.
your own fault. show up when it matters
1
"I should mention that I wrote a column just before Super Tuesday urging all of them to do just that. But what politician ever takes advice from a writer?"
You picked a hell of a time to become influential.
2
Don't feel bad, Mr. Egan. New York won't matter either, because we will be one of the last states to hold a primary. We are just sitting around reading about how the rest of the country is voting.
Gov. Newsome of California had the good sense to move up his state primary . Gov. Cuomo of New York did not. He was too busy squabbling with Trump, mayor di Blasio and his own transit chief
1
I always vote early, technically, in-person absentee (early voting doesn't exist as such in SC) because I always work as a poll watcher. Despite the fact that my preferred candidate, Klobuchar, is now out of the race, I don't believe my vote was wasted. It may give her some leverage down the road regarding either policy or a place in the next administration. As a local Democratic Party officer said, "No vote is ever wasted."
1
If it is head to head races like the general election or Bernie vs Clinton, there is no penalty for voting early.
Otherwise, it pays to wait as long as possible, and this should be obvious.
1
If it came down to it in a contested convention (538 saying its less than 1% likely at this point anyway) you can be sure your vote would be accounted for in the preference tally, unless your theoretical re-vote would go against the assumed preference of the candidate you originally voted for. Ie. Buttigieg, Klobuchar and Bloomberg votes would be considered likely Biden votes. Warren votes harder to say -- likely split 50/50 to determine the overall will of the electorate.
Ranked-choice voting is too sensible and practical to ever be implemented.
@Aaron
While it might be preferable and work elsewhere, I very think ranked-choice voting would challenge the intellect of the average American voter.
We're talking about a people who put Donald Trump in the Oval Office....
3
Mr. Egan's vote does indeed count though in a nuanced way. Delegates in states with primary voting are awarded based in part on votes. I don't know the specifics of Washington state, but chances are the person for whom Mr. Egan voted will earn a certain number of delegates, and that person can influence those delegates' final vote in the convention.
I waited till last Saturday to fill out my ballot. I had to do some grieving that Elizabeth and Amy exited the contest. I had to say goodbye to the hope their candidacy represented, in terms of temperament, ideas, and the role models they were for women and children. (Sorry, maybe someday.)
I was down to a choice between the equivalent of a loaf of slightly stale bread (I do love bread) and a flame thrower who says what I believe and what is increasingly evident in this coronavirus era: Our government and health care systems are broken.
I turned total pragmatist and went for the one who stands a better chance of winning over the Independents and Republicans we need to grow our tent and get Trump out of office.
As I filled in the oval for Joe, I felt hope rising. He knows the process of governing, of building bipartisan support, of working with allies on the international front. So many Americans are hungry to repair the damage to our institutions, hungry for stability while also deeply dedicated to clawing our way back from the abyss. I voted with that part of my country that's ready to get on with it, get Trump out of office, and dive in to repair the damage and begin to restore faith in our government. I count on Joe to staff his cabinet wisely, and to choose the vice presidential candidate who can, as Elizabeth articulated for her VP choice, effectively help make the changes that need to be made.
6
I would like:
1. online voting where I could change my vote right up to the deadline of midnight before voting day.
2. ranked voting
3. Elimination of electoral college
4. Elimination of caucuses
5. Nationwide preliminary vote in Spring
6. Nationwide final in June.
7. Elimination of all delegates
9
I waited to vote to prevent this from happening and ended up standing in a line for over an hour.
I'd rather early vote next time.
1
Good article. So how do we do it? How do we get ranked choice voting? How do we move the primaries in every state to the same day? Is ranked choice voting something that has to be done by state legislatures? Who determines when the primaries are? What day should it be? First Tuesday in March? Earlier or later? If we have a day, or a weekend, should mail in votes still be allowed? I really like the convenience of mail in voting, but would love to vote a ranked choice ballot that would mean we could come to some sort of consensus.
4
I live in California. I vote by mail. I said to myself, "I'm just gonna keep my powder dry until I see what happens in South Carolina." Then I voted for Joe Biden and mailed my ballot in a day before Super Tuesday. I've always admired Mr. Egan's logic. Mini-Super Tuesday was even more in the future. What was his hurry that his logic failed him?
3
Here in Oregon, our Democratic primary will be on ... wait for it ... May 19! I live 15 miles from the California border. If I had registered just 15 miles away, I could actually have voted for my preferred nominee, Elizabeth Warren. Now she probably won't even be on the ballot here.
This system is nuts and must be totally reformed. The campaign season should be three months, total. All primaries held on the same day, and the candidate with the most VOTES (not delegates) wins. Voting should be mandatory in every general election (don't vote; pay a fine). Everyone should have vote-by-mail paper ballots.
Don't even get me started on campaign finance reform, LOL!
4
Why did you choose to vote a month early? Was their a return deadline before your primary day? Perhaps it’s because I’ve been paying attention to politics for 30+ years, but I know the field is going to winnow. Most of the dropouts should have done so after NH and waiting until after the Southern primaries was irrational and a waste of time and money.
Ranked choice voting should have a place in the primaries, but the primaries also show us who has a campaign staff, the logistical savvy, and the physical stamina to get through the fall campaign. I would like to see primaries conducted regionally back and forth across the country from February to April. Using the US Census’ nine regions would even make them almost equal in population.
1
Voting for a candidate that dropped out — join the club! — is almost as irritating as having early-voting states (which have little or nothing in common with the country as a whole, and whose inhabitants share little if any of my concerns) determine which candidates move forward in the process. The system should be changed: Iowa and New Hampshire can still lead the pack, but they would vote on the same day as a cadre of other states, such as New York, Illinois, Texas, and Florida, that would force the process to reflect a much wider base of voters, right out of the gate.
4
Perhaps we should return to voting as a civic duty, that one makes an effort to do. No one needs 30 days to find the time to vote. A 48-72 hour window is enough. The same mentality that brought on participation prizes and helicopter parenting has wrought this nonsense. The exquisite irony is that it has harmed completely viable left leaning candidates.
3
Forget those losers Egan. Just vote for Trump next time. He's going to be around for a long time.
1
Bernie Bros are a myth.
https://www.salon.com/2020/03/09/there-is-hard-data-that-shows-bernie-bros-are-a-myth/
3
@Paul
Tell that to the people attacked by them.
Not really sure why an intelligent person and observer of politics such as the author would vote early. It should have been obvious that people vote drop out after Super Tuesday (an entire week prior to the WA primary). I can see voting early in the general, but why would anyone vote so early in the POTUS primary?
6
Ranking is not the correct answer the correct answer is, you should have waited to cast your ballot until after Super Tuesday. We have early voting in Colorado and we held off until after the South Carolina primary. Please stop whining, try taking some responsibility for your actions, suck it up and vote in the general election come November.
3
I too voted early due to being out of the country. If I mailed my ballot from Mexico it would take three months to get to the states. Most states don't have their ballots ready that early. My vote doesn't count either. It makes me mad. My candidate should get a portion of the electorate at the convention. The rules need to be changed.
Why? I live in Washington State, and I decided not to cast my ballot until after Super Tuesday, because I knew by then more than a few of that long list of candidates would have either dropped out or would not have a realistic chance of gaining the nomination. Am I happy with the binary choice we are left with? Not exactly, but at least I didn't waste my vote.
4
All is not lost:
As others have noted, it is important to vote, even if it is too late for your preferred candidate. I shows you are committed to the process and to participation in democracy.
AND, there may be a split convention, in which case delegates should consider who party members throughout the country have voted for and what positions they support in the general election.
AND, your preferred candidate may be considered for V.P., which would get their positions into the eventual debate.
At least, that is what I am hoping for!
3
I voted from Sarasota Florida the morning of the South Carolina primary so that my ballot would be sure to arrive in Seattle in time and I too voted for a candidate who then dropped out. Sometimes procrastination is a good thing.
1
Oregon's primary isn't until May 19, at which point it's probably just a waste of paper, but that's okay, our economy is heavily tied to wasting paper.
My candidate, to whom I actually sent money thinking this was more important than the previous ten presidential elections in which I've been eligible to vote, has dropped out. The problem being that four states, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, even when combined look nothing like the rest of the country, decide "who's the frontrunner" in the lead up to Super Tuesday. My candidate was plagued with "electability" baggage even before more than a few had any chance to do much electing.
What a ridiculous way to chose a national leader. But then, the Electoral College, so yeah, the whole business is a great design for 1788-89 elections. Today? No, not really. Not in a system where a candidate's viability is in large part based on the money the campaign can raise and I am not wealthy. So I am instead forced to choose from several wheezy old geezers who use terms like "record player," a guy that hardly belongs to the party for which that person seeks the nomination, and a narcissistic ogre who's handling the outbreak of a deadly illness with all the command and grace of Curly Howard.
What a revolting development. I should have emigrated to a country which is run by adults when I had greater opportunity.
4
"That means I will have zero influence on the outcome." Oh give me a break! You have weekly columns in the most prestigious newspaper in the world. You get to say whatever you want, to express your prejudices as if they were facts, raise or denigrate candidates (like in this article), and promote the issues that you think are important. Yeah, you screwed up by voting early, but unlike almost everyone else that made that mistake, you have nothing to cry about.
10
I vote early because crowds make me very uncomfortable. Sanders 2020.
3
Such experiences prove the old adage that we ought to be careful what we wish for because we might get it. Vote-by-mail once was seen as a way to broaden participation by allowing people who might not be able to get to the polling place to nonetheless participate in the election. It also was supposed to save people the inconvenience of long lines at the voting booth. Oh well, I suppose it is now back in line.
1
I also live in Washington State, and waited until yesterday to drop my envelope in the mail, specifically for this reason. My first choice candidate dropped out following Super Tuesday, but at least I still get a say. Lesson is, hold off voting until the last minute. The convenience factor isn't lost with a mail-in ballot.
2
Your vote does affect the "outcome"; it shows how many people would really rather have had someone else. That's a message telling whoever wins which way to tack. In that sense, your vote may actually do more than if it had merely run up the total of the winner.
I'm not arguing that you shouldn't have waited to vote. The election day vote matters, because there is now a binary choice, and the extent to which former supporters of withdrawn candidates will rally behind Joe or Bernie is important information. But don't feel that, having voted early, you have accomplished nothing at all.
(And don't worry about not living in a swing state. If people who share your interests and views are present in swing states in the same proportion as they are in yours, your interests are being fairly represented, and that's more important than your vote being "counted.")
2
No whining, you made a choice and learn to live with it.
Early voting increases turn out which is a very good thing.
You voted for the person you believed would make the best president that the person dropped out has no meaning. Your intentions were good.
Ranked choice voting leads to a fragmented divided government if more than one party is on the ballot.
We gave money early to Klobuchar, then to Warren and last to Sanders. Do we consider the money wasted. No. We supported the candidates we considered best to be president.
It is called an election. Most lose and only one wins.
3
@Edward B. Blau ...
At last, some sanity from a commenter to a NY Times op-ed piece that's nothing more than a personal evasion of any responsibility for the author's action.
This is exactly why I waited until after the SC primary to vote by mail. But then, I'm from California so I'm used to my vote being totally irrelevant.
3
This business of thinking that the only worthwhile vote is one that supports the eventual winner is corrosive to democracy. Why bother voting at all if the only worthwhile vote is for the candidate that the majority supports? Part of the problem is our winner-takes-all system. The other part is the closed party-oriented primary elections. We desperately need rank choice voting and it's a shame that the author isn't emphasizing that.
2
I voted early for a long shot candidate assuming that she was going to lose. I wanted to make a statement to the Dems that they should have a woman on the ticket in November by showing my support for this candidate. I don't think of it as a wasted vote.
4
For the election of the President, which is the only truly national election, all states should use the same rules at the same time. Leave the local administration for state or local elections to the states, counties, cities, villages, whatever, but for this one election we should all be using the same method. Ideally a ranked choice set of two or three primaries, all on the same day across the country would give everyone an equal vote. What a concept.
Mr. Egan may have lost his vote, but I'm out the $50 I donated to Ms. Klobuchar's campaign after her New Hampshire showing and before she dropped out. Throwing votes and money away - what politics does best.
11
@Patrick ...
Nice thought...
So where's your proposal for a constitutional amendment that would allow that to happen?
All primaries on the same day.
Ranked choice voting.
Shorter primary season.
Rework fundraising.
Time off to vote.
Bring elections into the 21 century.
5
@TNM ...
See my comment to Patrick...
So, where are your constitutional amendment and regulatory legislation would allow such proposals to come to pass?
I always vote on Election Day. You never know who’s going to flip their lid as the pressure intensifies.
4
I remember voting for a presidential candidate that had already been declared the loser. The media had already declared the other candidate the winner by the time I got to the voting booth.
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@richard wiesner
Oh man. Mondale and Reagan in 1984. The pub on campus at Cal Berkeley. I had voted, but I watched my friends go off to vote even though Reagan had been the winner. What a heartbreaker.
We're also seeing the Sanders attack ads here in Ohio, usually immediately followed by more upbeat, positive Biden ads. Whoever is scheduling Joe's ads is smart, because they make Bernie appear incredibly tiresome. My husband always votes early (though this year his vote wasn't wasted), while I prefer to wait until election day.
3
Jeepers (a Biden-esque word if there was one) why did you vote early? Here in Colorado, this primary (and all state-wide elections) are also by mail, but you can drop off ballots on election day at convenient drive-by/walk-to ballot-mail-boxes, no stamp required. Which is what I did - changing my vote from Klobuchar to Biden after she and Pete dropped out. Too much can change too quickly to vote at other than the last minute if at all possible.
4
You know, it's possible to cast an absentee ballot without mailing it in four weeks before the election. Don't blame the absentee balloting process because your candidate failed you.
3
I could say "Live and Learn," but I figured, like many Democrats, that it was better to go with Biden as a sure bet to get Trump out of office than to monkey around with things. It is a SIGN OF MATURITY to sacrifice what I want personally for the greater good, and that is what I did. Try thinking more about the greater good than your own "pursuit of happiness" and the country might run better.
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Primaries choices are fluid, especially this one (until now, it was). But in general elections, when you are given the opportunity to vote early, TAKE IT. That's the drum that we at the Santa Fe County Democratic Party beat and will beat this summer and fall. Because you never know what will happen in your life on election day --sickness, family crisis, travel. I mean, one might die! And I know me: I would make a very unhappy corpse if I didn't have the chance to cast my vote to save my country from four more years of The Don.
4
I was in a similar situation in California. I do not share your sentiments. Of course your vote counted! You just didn't vote for a candidate who won the primary. BUT---as several folks have said, the important vote will be in November; then EVERY vote will count, regardless of when or how you cast it!
1
Ranked voting for top 3 choices would fix a lot of our polarized non functioning govt
Also make it mailed in!
3
Considering the fact that the presidential ballots I cast never count I understand your plight. I gave money to three of the candidates that dropped out. Do I mind? Only that one of them didn’t win the nomination. Next time it really might be wiser to wait. Considering what happened last week you may as well vote in person.
2
The writer is contradicting himself. The entire point of ranked voice voting is forcing a voter to educate themselves on the front end and eliminating the possibility of them changing their mind in the middle of an election. Now the writer wants a do-over and wants to change his mind because of later developments in election season. Nonsense. Ranked choice voting completely eliminates this as voters choose their favorites up front and then are forced to accept the responsibility of that decision later. Ranked choice forces candidates to cast a wider net of the electorate and eliminates the worst parts of our two party system (which needs to fall). This is how important democracy is. No wish washy. Educate yourself. If not live with consequences. That the risk you run with irresponsible citizenship.
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No, he wants ranked choice voting so that his second or third choices would count in the event that his first choice dropped out. This is not about him wanting to change his mind.
1
Slurs directed against Sanders aren't considered slurs. Bernie Bros (robo-bros} never include women just the image of a nasty fanatical ideologically frozen man in his 20s.
The millions upon million of people which shockingly to Egan includes millions upon millions women don't count in any way. And agree or disagree are not the caricatures that Timothy and almost all the mainstream columnists make them out to be.
As for me I wish the choices came down to Sanders, Warren and Michelle Alexander. I know who I would vote for. But I would feel infinitely more hopeful if that's where the discussion was.
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@Robert Roth Yeah, it's a really nasty, largely sexist strategy centrists like to use against Sanders based on the idea that women are basically stupid enough to believe Sanders supporters are a monolithic bloc of men.
An overstatement perhaps? Actually, it's fine to vote early when there are only two choices...for someone who makes a living in word craft, never say never should be an axiom you should reconsider.
1
As a WA voter, I share your pain. As does my mother. We have both taken the pledge—no more early voting from Whidbey Island.
1
You won't waste your vote if you wait and vote at a polling place! Mail ballots significantly delay reporting as well. I'm not in favor of allowing people to change their votes because their candidates drop out before the election. Our county election departments have enough to contend and allowing this seems to be inviting abuse.
1
a. You are an opinion writer. You are in some ways part of the problem, and to complain about your vote not mattering is somewhat ironic to me.
b. Blame the candidates and the poor quality of the debates. Part of the absurdity of this particular time around is the single mindedness of "Beat Trump" led to so many delusional dragon slayers.
The way to "beat trump" is to actually encourage sound decision making.
So much hot air about Bernie being some kind of mirror image to Trump, but choosing Biden is playing Trump's game, elect-ability is a marketing term, and your quick turn bailing dem candidates knew what they were doing when they converted all their campaigns to Biden.
Those votes weren't wasted, they let me know I cannot rely on my fellow Americans to be actually interested in the future, only the past.
1
what your fellow Americans don't want is to send our nation farther down the toilet with Sanders Socialism or for more years of Trumps fascism and racism.
the true failure is your demand for the government, meaning the tax payers, to hand you more free stuff while you float along expecting everyone else to work hard to support your choices
Me too. And now I can’t influence the outcome.
I know what you mean, Tim. Cuomo's mother was right! (So that's were their political acumen: MOM! Yes!) I wasted my vote, too, and not because my candidate dropped out, but because I made the wrong choice and should have given myself more time. Yes, Mrs. Cuomo was right. I do think vote by mail is the way to go, just need to be smart about it, and ranked voting is also a great idea.
This is why when I vote in Oregon (with our all-mail balloting system) I always wait to vote till the last day. This way I leave time for late-breaking scandals.
1
If it makes you feel any better, your paper and your profession has been doing everything in its power to prop up Biden and make sure Bernie Sanders does not get the nomination. And then there are the superdelegates.
3
Frank, I also despair. I too live in Washington state and voted early. My choice dropped out but I had not yet sealed the envelope. So, I made another choice, only to have my second choice drop out. This is all rather silly.
1
@Heysus ...
It also makes the statement that you are supporting candidates that, in the long run, don't have a chance at winning.
But remember, it was your choice the vote the way you did. Blaming the system of the winning candidate seems to me to be somewhat disingenuous, to say the least.
1
The primary process is a horse race and we bet on the winners. The amount of TV time devoted to the same debate over and over, the endless print, the State Fairs.....it is all exhausting and expensive ending in voter candidate fatigue. Reality programming where the catering truck is hidden from sight as people eat grasshoppers has really nothing to do with Democracy. This process needs serious reformation, like all voting on the same day, and limited campaign time....including for the President who has never stopped campaigning because that's what he thinks is his job.
2
The "wasted" early vote highlights the need (in my opinion) for a single national primary day so that everyone gets to vote for who they want, and assuming a "media" blackout until every voter votes across the country + territories, the votes are not "wasted" or influenced by entry/exit polls or rolling results and live race calls. Frankly, media blackout for that period (re: voting only, including social media (which don't abide media standards)) would help ensure people really get to vote their choice in the first round. I'm not informed enough to speculate about the winnowing process after that. Like the "wasted" vote, my vote will not be for my first choice because she dropped out before our states's primary (we vote by mail in Oregon, which is wonderful), which is in May? maybe?
2
Tim,
I haven't looked at the data for a few years, but in Oregon, another impulsively progressive state, (except where it matters most), the trend in vote by mail has been towards later and later ballot drop offs as a percentage of the total vote.
You may not have 'learned' this lesson, but the population as a whole seems to have.
On the other hand, a significant early vote should push campaigns to rely less on last minute smear campaigns that can't be effectively rebutted prior to election day. That in my opinion is a good thing.
3
I mailed in my vote for Elizabeth Warren two days after she dropped out. I don’t regret it in the least.
1
It seems to me that early-state voters have MORE say in the outcome. Late-state voters won’t get to vote for Warren, Bloomberg, et al.
2
Timothy, as a Bernie supporter I do not begrudge your views.
You are voting your class interest, which as a well off political writer are different than say, a factory worker in Ohio, or fast food worker in NYC. Bernie will likely increase your taxes, as I am going to guess you make much more than $200K a year, and you are making a rational short term choice to oppose him. (Though long term, it's a foolish decision, because without extreme action on climate change, something that isn't possible in the current political system, our children's future is at best bleak)
What bothers me is that you, and many fiscally conservative but socially liberal pundits, don't seem to understand why people who are not in as secure an economic position might vote for say, Bernie Sanders, over Joe Biden.
There is a mismatch of economic interests, even if there is an overlap of social views. Republicans have long relied on their voters viewing social issues like gun rights as something worth trading away their economic interest for. Democratic voters have also been fed this line, like we should vote for Biden even though his policies would allow millions of Americans to remain uninsured. But with Bernie, we are waking up to that issue.
So I am sorry you wasted your vote, but again that is a matter of your class privilege. A shift worker may not be allowed to vote on election day, you can vote whenever you please. Early voting protects the working class from voter suppression.
8
@Kenneth I recently read some Soviet textbooks of Marxism-Leninism for the research I am doing. Wow, did you capture the tone and phraseology just right! Class interest! Class privilege! Economic base! I don’t think you studied in one of those propaganda factories my mother was forced into. I just think that you, like so many clueless American liberals, have seized upon the stale pablum Bernie is feeding you, imagining that it is the flavor of the day. It’s not. It is a bunch of empty phrases and meaningless platitudes. Those factory workers can make up their own minds as to whether they value a governmental handout more than their religion, their patriotism or even their guns. I don’t agree with their views but I respect their freedom to choose. Marx was wrong. And Bernie is not even wrong: he is irrelevant. This is why Biden will win the nomination - though, along with Egan, I wish it were one of the other moderate candidates. Like him, I wasted my vote in mail-in ballot. But at least if it has to be an old white guy, it won’t be the one spouting zombie slogans and peddling dusty ideologies.
I never understood why early voting is encouraged. A voter should want as much information as possible. There has never been an alternative when it comes to absentee ballots but nothing beats voting on the day of the election. We should want more people to vote but not people with limited information, Moving voting to weekends seems like the best way to increase the vote and also have the most informed voters. Although since Republicans are intent on stopping people from voting, particularly black voters, such a measure might be impossible to carry out.
2
I waited until yesterday to vote here in Ohio, a week before the March 17 primary. I was afraid my favored candidate(s) would drop out, and indeed two of them did. So I was able to vote for my third choice, whom I much prefer over the alternative. On the other hand, there's a risk, especially this year, of waiting until Election Day to cast one's ballot: sickness, accident, terrible weather, quarantines, etc.
4
This year's primary makes it obvious that reforms to the system are necessary. A modest proposal:
1) Divide the country into four geographic regions that are roughly equal in population and conduct primary voting on a succession of "Super Tuesdays" held a few weeks apart. Unless everybody votes on the same day, which is not practical for primaries, you're going to have the problem of some people feeling like the race is already decided before they have a chance to weigh in. Since we can't eliminate that problem entirely, let's make sure at least 25% of voters cast ballots before the field has been narrowed. The voting order would rotate each time, so that every region would get a turn voting first. The larger sample size would also help minimize the problem of demographics: ie, the fact that we need to have a more diverse group of people in the early voting if we want it to be representative.
2) Introduce ranked choice. This would give you a chance to be heard, even if you vote by mail and your top choice dropped out. It would also discourage candidates from demonizing one another (because you're hoping that some of your opponents' supporters will list you second or third, and you don't want to alienate them). It would also give an advantage to centrists: a candidate who gets numerous 2nd and 3rd rankings is likely to appeal to broad range of voters in the general election than one who doesn't, so it seems appropriate that should be rewarded.
2
I have always preferred to vote in person, on Election Day, but the current conditions make it more difficult. That said, in California many people receive a mail-in ballot which we can return in person on Election Day. That method ensures arrival of a traceable paper ballot on the day of the vote.
4
Robo-bros? Don't you mean politically active volunteers. What's with this general disdain of real political excitement and campaigning. Is Bernie meant to roll over and let Biden, an exceptionally weak candidate, take the nomination even though they are tied in delegates as of today?
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@Xavier
Where exactly do you get your information? I just went to 3 different sites and they all have Biden leading Bernie by about 95 delegates.
There is enough disinformation going around, we don't need more.
5
Sadly As i voted today in Michigan my preferred candidates have all dropped out. Determined by a few states and polling which is not reliable. This primary process needs to change! Luckily in Michigan grass root efforts led to significant changes in voting and ppl are permitted to recall their vote and recast it if their candidate drops out.
3
The same thing happened to me, and then my husband said "you vote still counts". I realized...it does. My vote is still there supporting the candidate I originally chose, not settled on later. Maybe that sends some sort of small message.
2
And then there are the dead voters... not talking about Richard Daley's voters found in cemeteries back in the day. Vote early, you never know when you'll get hit by a bus. Seriously, voting on paper ballots by mail is the best system going, but yes, it makes sense to mail it back closer to the election. In Burlington Vermont, ranked choice voting for mayor (that would be Bernie's old haunt) was discarded after a mayor elected by majority only after the third candidate was disqualified and his voters second choices counted, turned out to be very unpopular. We often have regrets after casting a ballot, but ranked choice really provides the greatest options for voting for both who we like best and still arriving at a majority decision.
Same, here. Voted for Elizabeth last week. Never again will I vote early.
2
Won't change until (1) Every primary in every state is held the same day, and (2) every ballot is ranked choice. I'd also argue that 'closed ' primaries where voters can't cross party lines to vote is a form of voter suppression.
2
I share your new commitment, Mr. Egan. I have never voted early because you never know what might happen in the intervening period. I do wish ranked votes would be the standard and that the calendar will change. Even if we feel our votes don't count, they do! It is a privilege and a duty for me and I never miss a vote, whether local, state of federal.
2
Elections in the US, particularly the slavery-era electoral college, are a shambles, but rather than making our votes easier and more secure, we continue to make it more difficult and don't address security....and timeliness. Democracy should be about "One Person, One Vote". Secure. Easy. Fast. (This primary business is also screwed up: why not have one national primary day, or maybe even, four regional primary days?) We are in no position to preach "democracy" to the rest of the world.
6
As someone who voted early in California, I ran into the same situation. However, I refuse to believe my vote was wasted. I truly cast a ballot for the person I believed would best do the job, and those that didn't come up to the mark should consider my opinion come November.
3
The only real solution to this problem is for the Dems to have one "Primary Election Day" and level the now utterly distorted playing field that gives states like Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina far more influence and media coverage than they deserve. While we're at it, in the run up to PED cut back on the number of debates and don't allow the damn thing to run on for months and months. Something has to change -- and my hunch is that if it does, we may well have a better, fairer, process. As long as the DNC isn't allowed to organize, control, and manipulate the process.
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@Rip
Not going to happen...
The political consultants, PR and ad agencies, the TV and radio stations aren't going to allow it.
And neither are the potential candidates whose egos are such that they want to suck money form constituents and strut on a national stage in grandiose styles to which they quickly and willingly become accustomed.
@The Owl
you are wise, Owl. and of course you're right. the strength of the structure will see to it that the profitability that the status quo delivers continues on. and of course the egos of politicians have to be constantly fed and watered too. alas, for the people.
1