VA-GOV: Today's early voting update

[RandySF]

Link to tweet

[onenote]

1. Not liking the age distribution

Virginia voters over 50 went for Trump in 2016. And were 46 percent of all voters. Need to have a strong turnout of young voters -- always a challenge in an "off year" election.

[RandySF]

2. Look at the geographic breakout

There's a good chance that a 40 to 60 year-old voter in Northern Virginia is a federal civil service worker.

[onenote]

6. Not really. Only around 14 percent of NoVa residents are federal employees

And a lot of them are under 40.

Because of the military presence, there actually is a greater percentage of federal employees in Tidewater than in NoVa.

[nitpicker]

10. Remember the retirees

There is a mix in northern VA; civil service retirees who came to town in the 60s, versus military (usually officer) who retired from the five-sided funny farm or other places in northern VA.

[dsc]

3. Early voting in Virginia

Always skews old because old people are the only ones allowed to do it without another compelling reason

[RandySF]

4. Sounds like Michigan

I worked in an election office. If you were 65 or older, you could be added to an automatic absentee list. otherwise, you needed to be out of town, in custody pending trial, etc.

[spooky3]

5. Not so. There are lots of allowable reasons, including you

Work in DC or another state on Election Day. And many No. Virginians do.

Fed workers are a much smaller percentage of the NoVA workforce than the stereotype suggests. Lots are techies, lawyers, consultants, state and local teachers or professors and staff at universities, health care workers, in the hospitality industry, etc etc.

[nitpicker]

11. There's others too

The military-INDUSTRIAL complex (most readily visible in Crystal City), the Big 4 accounting firms plastering their names over Tyson's Corner, the national and local PBS offices, studios for TV channels, vehicle dealerships, state and local government workers, the (un)real estate industry, and hordes of other workers.

[spooky3]

15. Yes.

[dsc]

12. I didn't say no young people could vote early

just that fewer of them can. For those of us who live in states with no excuses early voting like NC we are used to a different skew to the early voting.

[spooky3]

16. But the point is that there are SO many reasons (I think 14)

And at least one that MANY young people can use, that I don’t think having to give a reason is why early voting “skews older.”

And where are you getting the info that age is among any of the allowable reasons?

Here is the list:

https://www.vote.org/absentee-ballot/virginia/

[SCantiGOP]

7. Dont call us old, dammit!

We are differently-aged individuals.
At 66 i’m finally in a protected class.

[Bradshaw3]

8. Differently-aged. I like it for us. Or...

How about "age-challenged"?

[Wounded Bear]

22. Oh, really?

[crazycatlady]

18. as of 2012

You need a reason to vote early/absentee in VA. Being over 65 is a valid reason.

Could explain the age difference.

[onenote]

21. Simply being over 65 is not a valid reason for in person absentee voting in Virginia.

Legislation to allow absentee voting in Virginia by anyone 65 or older has been proposed for a number of years, but has never been passed into law. There is an exception to the rule that first time voters in Virginia generally may not vote absentee if the voter is over 65, but that voter still has to meet one of the other stated reasons for voting absentee.

There are 20 permittted reasons. Being over a particular age is not one of them. Some require additional information. Some don't.

Here is the list with the additional information required in parentheses.

1A Student attending college or university outside of locality of residence in Virginia (Name of college or university)
1B Spouse of student attending college or university outside locality of residence in Virginia (Name of college or university)
1C Business outside County/City of residence on Election Day (Name of employer or business)
1D Personal business or vacation outside County/City of residence on Election Day Place of travel (VA county/city or state or country)
1E I am working and commuting to/from home for 11 or more hours between 6:00 AM and 7:00 PM on Election Day (Name of employer or business and Election Day hours of working and commuting (AM to PM))
1F I am a first responder (member of law enforcement, fire fighter, emergency technician, search and rescue) (Not required)
2A My disability or illness (Not required)
2B I am primarily and personally responsible for the care of a disabled/ill family member confined at home (Family Relationship)
2C My pregnancy (Not required)
3A Confined, awaiting trial (Name of institution)
3B Confined, convicted of a misdemeanor (Name of institution)
4A An electoral board member, registrar, officer of election, or custodian of voting equipment (Not required)
5A I have a religious obligation (Not required)
6A Active Duty Merchant Marine or Armed Forces (Branch of service)
6B Spouse or dependent living with a member of 6A Branch of service
6C Temporarily residing outside of US (Enter your last date of residency at your Virginia voting residence only if you have given up that address permanently or have no intent to return)
6D Temporarily residing outside of US for employment or spouse or dependent residing with employee (Name of business or employer)
7A Requesting a ballot for presidential and vice-presidential electors only
(Ballots for other offices/issues will not be sent) (New state of residence and date moved from Virginia. Only eligible if you moved less than 30 days before the presidential election.)
8A Authorized representative of candidate or party serving inside the polling place (Not required)
9A Granted a protective order issued by or under the authority of a court of competent jurisdiction. (Name of the county or city in Virginia or the state of the issuing court.)

[NBachers]

9. I prefer to think of it as "age-enhanced."

[justiceischeap]

13. Yes but Northam is polling + double digits

And I’ve been visited at least 3 times in the past two weeks by people door knocking for Northam.

[OliverQ]

14. The average is only like 4% for Northam. There was one poll that had him up 17

but that was an outlier.

[justiceischeap]

17. Quinnipac (sp).

I’m not too worried about the early vote numbers though.

[crazycatlady]

19. Are you out knocking or calling?

[justiceischeap]

20. Calling. nt