In the United States, it can feel like election season never stops. Yet here we are again at the end of another campaign cycle as citizens across the country vote in the midterm elections. While you’re probably sick of seeing ads for and against your local politicians, now is the time that the rubber meets the road, so if you haven’t already, get out there and vote!
Judging by early numbers, many of those reading this blog have already voted, using early voting methods like mail-in ballots, which are a safe and unbiased, if time-consuming, method.
If you’ve moved, haven’t voted before, or are unsure if you’re polling place has changed, don’t worry! There are plenty of resources available on a state-by-state basis to find out where to vote that are easily accessible by Google, but you can also use an independent site like vote.org to get all of the information in one place.
https://www.vote.org/polling-place-locator/
Before you head out to vote, you may want to double check our What Not to Wear While Voting guide, as many states will turn away potential voters who show up in political garb.
Turnout
If you’re voting today, lines will likely be reminiscent of the 2018 midterms, which had higher than usual turnout. While there’s a sense that more people are tuned into this election, it’s also backed up by the numbers, as early voting had passed 40 million ballots as of yesterday morning. This number is ahead of the pace set in 2018, but doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll see more votes cast than four years ago.
The increased early votes are coming in unevenly, as states like Georgia are breaking records and resembling a presidential election while less contested states like California may not match their 2018 totals. Georgia’s pace is occurring despite a new elections bill that opponents called restrictive.
Weather
California, along with a handful of other western states and Florida, will also be dealing with adverse weather today. While rain and even snow will be showing up out west, this evening should bring the first rain from Subtropical Storm Nicole to Florida. The weather may be one of the few non-partisan experiences that we have in the country (even if there’s disagreement on what’s causing the weather), and while it generally won’t make the type of difference that will flip an election, the New York Times reports that every inch of precipitation above average reduces voter turnout by up to a full percentage point.
Results
Once all the ballots have been cast, it might be tempting to turn on the TV to follow the returns, but following with recent trends, it may take a while to get final results. Some of this is due to legislative procedures regarding when early votes can be counted, but certain races also face the possibility of voting in a follow-up run-off election depending on the results.
This can be nerve-wracking for voters as the longer it takes to get results, the more time there is for false narratives or integrity doubts to arise. That being said, progress has been made on election security, and we’re in better shape than during previous elections.
Voting is what allows our citizens to have a hand in shaping our country. We’re extremely thankful for the election officials and poll workers who keep our democracy running in uncertain times.
About the Author: Chris Mack
Chris is a Marketing Manager at Extract with experience in product development, data analysis, and both traditional and digital marketing. Chris received his bachelor’s degree in English from Bucknell University and has an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. A passionate marketer, Chris strives to make complex ideas more accessible to those around him in a compelling way.