Early And Mail-In Absentee Ballots On The Rise
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – As early voting gets underway in Florida, it is worth remembering that we haven't always enjoyed early voting as an option.
In 2000, there was no such thing as "early voting." And the only way to receive an absentee ballot is if you had a specific reason for not being able to vote on Election Day. As a result, 93 percent of the vote was cast on Election Day and just seven percent came in through absentee ballots.
Then Florida went through the 2000 election debacle, with hanging chads, butterfly ballots and long lines. The ensuing recount created a lack of confidence with voters from both political parties. Facing immense pressure and embarrassment, the Legislature approved a system of early voting and they expanded absentee voting. You no longer needed an actual excuse to request an absentee ballot.
In 2004, in the first Presidential contest following the changes, the number of people who voted early or with absentee ballots, climbed to 36 percent, with 64 percent showing up on Election Day to decide between John Kerry and George W. Bush.
Four years later, in the 2008 race between John McCain and Barack Obama, the absentee and early votes jumped up to 54 percent of all votes cast.
And in 2012, as President Obama sought re-election against Mitt Romney, the early and absentee vote grew to 56 percent of the votes cast in Florida.
This trend isn't entirely organic. The two major parties have a lot to do with this shift as well.
Democrats push early voting – especially in the African American communities with the "souls to the polls" campaign.
And Republicans have stressed getting absentee ballots in the hands of their supporters.
All of which means there is no such thing as "Election Day" anymore – but rather Election Weeks. And the campaigns organized to take advantage of this fact tends to win.
Click on the corresponding links to find early voting locations for: Miami-Dade County, Broward County and Monroe County.
Voting can also be done through absentee ballots which will be mailed to your home. To do that, you must request a ballot by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2nd. To request an absentee ballot in Miami-Dade click here or here for Broward or here for Monroe counties.
Complete #Campaign2016 coverage here: cbsmiami.com/campaign2016
BALLOT BREAKDOWN | Election 101: Voter Registration To Election Day | Solar Energy | Medical Marijuana In Florida |Recap Of The Amendments You'll Vote On|
