Early voting could determine the election this year

[DCBob]

While it is just eight weeks until Election Day, even that schedule overstates how much time the presidential nominees have to win over voters. More than 30 states allow some form of early voting, forcing the campaigns to deal with a rolling series of Election Days. Iowa, a crucial state, will begin voting on Sept. 23, less than three weeks after the end of the Republican convention marked the traditional start of the general election sprint. “I think it’s unprecedented, a whole new way of looking at elections,” said Tad Devine, a Democratic strategist who is not involved with either campaign. “A combination of the late conventions and the way early voting is becoming even earlier around the country is going to have a big, big impact.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/us/politics/10schedule.html?em
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Ohio has created a window in the election calendar that would allow residents instant gratification _ register one minute, vote the next. It's also given the campaigns of Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain a chance to bank thousands of first-time voters during that Sept. 30 to Oct. 6 window. The move will benefit Obama, who enjoys a 2-to-1 lead over McCain among 18- to 34-year-olds.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/13/new-ohio-voting-law-could_n_118637.html
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And while most states allow early voting beginning about 15 days before the general election, some have much longer windows. Ohio will allow voting as early as September 30. Iowa's window opens 40 days out, Montana and Maine are 30 days out, Wisconsin 21 days out, North Carolina 19 days out, and Nevada and New Mexico allow early voting 17 days out. All told, 15 states that are considered competitive this year offer some form of unrestricted early voting. But the thing you must keep in mind is that the benefit to the presidential campaigns of early voting can only be accomplished if it has a state organization that is capable of program to "bank" a meaningful number of early votes, so that it can focus its attention to more traditional GOTV tasks in the final week. Without an ample organization, a campaign is limited to simply encouraging its supporters to vote early. Only with a fairly large organization can a campaign can actually identify, push, and follow-up with those supporters who pledged to vote early.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-nickolas/obamas-biggest-advantage_b_118996.html
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Early voting could be big for Obama. I am sure the campaign is prepping for this in key early voting states. This also helps nullify any GOP Oct surprise/election eve shenanigans. Could be the deciding factor in some key close contests.

[SaveAmerica]

1. Yep every state that has early voting should have non-stop action from day one...

Everyone get all your friends to go vote with you as early as you can!!!