Our View: Voting early has many benefits

Published 10:12 pm Monday, February 15, 2016

It’s election season and Georgia’s big day is coming up two weeks from today.

On Tuesday, March 1, voters in Georgia, along with six other southern states in the so-called “SEC Primary,” will go to the polls to cast ballots in the Presidential Preference Primary.

Often neglected in national campaigns, this time southern states plan to be a major voice in this year’s election. Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia joined with Georgia to vote earlier than usual, March 1, with Louisiana just a few days later. This created a region in which candidates have to invest their time, energy and money or take a massive hit on the road to the White House. After all, there are 1,010 delegates up for grabs from these states.

But you don’t have to wait two weeks to make your voice heard. Early voting is underway and will continue until Friday, Feb. 26. Voters in Whitfield and Murray counties can vote at their courthouse during normal business hours.

Voting early has many benefits. First, you do it at your convenience. It also reduces the lengths of lines on Election Day, eases stress on voting machines and poll workers, and can reveal glitches in the voting system in time to fix them.

Early voting can also improve participation among minority voters, according to a report from the Brennan Center for Justice that found in favor of early voting laws.

So why not plan a trip to the courthouse to vote early and avoid the hassle of Election Day? The rest of this week would make an ideal time as afternoon temperatures are expected to be in the 60s.

Remember to take a photo ID to the polls. The state allows six forms of valid photo ID. These include a Georgia driver’s license, even if expired; any valid state or federal government-issued photo ID, including a free Voter ID card issued by your county registrar’s office or the Department of Driver Services; a valid passport; a valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency or entity of the U.S. government, Georgia or any county, municipality, board, authority or other state entity; a valid U.S. military photo ID; or a valid tribal photo ID.

Voting early is easy — much like a quick errand that can be run on one’s individual schedule. We encourage area voters to go to the polls at their convenience to participate in this nation’s historic and democratic method of selecting its leaders.