You’ve probably seen footage of Donald Trump’s first excursion into a library Saturday, when he shut down an entire South Florida precinct, just so he could vote for himself in a state where he does not live. But what about everyone else? With 10 days before Election Day, early voting is now open in almost every state that offers it, and voters were ready as soon as it happened where they live.
Saturday also marks the inaugural Vote Early Day. The initiative is one of many that aims not just to raise awareness of the option to vote early, but to fiercely encourage it.
More than 50 million people have voted early as of this writing … and many of them have taken to social media to document it.
Voter education is particularly important in an election held in the middle of a pandemic. The Vote Early Day website is just one of many that provide a plethora of resources to help people find out how to vote early, since policies and procedures vary from state to state.
As we count down the days until we #VoteThemOut, there’s a a social media phenomenon that many people, including your fearless writer, have become fascinated with: Voting lines. Some voters, like me, have long associated long voting lines with attempted suppression of voters, particularly in Black-majority precincts. Yet in 2020, the high-speed line feed has become a GOTV meme in and of itself, showing that long lines also can serve as a dazzling visual indicator of voter excitement! Let’s check out some of the lines (and scenes from them) on Vote Early Day.
Sidebar: Chef José Andres is a hero.
Don’t diss NYC, Florida Man.
Celebrities vote early, too.
Remember, we’re not just voting for ourselves.
The littles are working overtime to get the grown-ups voting. Check out this young lady brightening up New York voters’ line experience.
Voting can be a fun family affair.
More entertainment for those waiting in line. Be sure to watch both videos!
More line-feeding. (Rosenthal is the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond).
Again, this #VoteEarlyDay, folks were more likely to celebrate their long lines instead of complain about it.
Just look at these excited (and patient) folks.
Some folks got goofy without ever waiting in line.
This is a short and sweet point about Trump to keep in mind.
This voter found strength from within … the line, that is.
Here are a few more reasons to help anyone with a long early-voting line in their future stay strong.
Alabama voters don’t care about rain when voting is on the line.
World Central Kitchen strikes again, this time feeding folks waiting in line to vote out Susan Collins.
Sometimes we all need a reminder not to take voting for granted.
Beyond avoiding endless lines, there’s another reason to vote early: You won’t overwhelm understaffed poll workers doing their best in a pandemic.
Ready to vote early? Grab a friend. Or if you’re like these energetic Biden-Harris supporters in Nevada, grab a couple hundred friends, and some horses.
For all the high-speed line videos to be found, here’s a rarity: a slow video.
Even Death came to the polls today.
Numbers don’t lie.
Did you notice that some people were waiting to vote in arenas? There’s a reason for that.
You know, the high-speed videos make it hard to understand just how long these lines are. Let’s close with a real-time video; thankfully, this state senator is on a bike.
Today’s lines are a less a sign of suppression and more a display of excitement. It is my greatest hope, with voting rights unprotected like they haven’t been in my lifetime, Trump’s corruption, and this level of enthusiasm, that we’ll see shorter lines on Nov. 3 so that ballots aren’t being cast at 3 a.m., and voters aren’t being intimidated by crazed MAGA bots.
Vote early, if you can. And be sure to take pictures!
Source: Daily Kos
No comments:
Post a Comment