It's quite a surreal experience to vote in a state that is an important swing state. Not only do I live in such a state, but I live in central Florida. Northern Florida leans very conservative, while Southern Florida leans to the left. That leaves central Florida as the tie breaking section of the state, a.k.a. the main political battleground for the state.
Which means I have seen more political commercials in my twenty months in the Sunshine State than in my previous twenty-five years in Mississippi combined. No joke.
One thing I LOVE about voting in Florida is that there is an option to vote early. A week before the election day, you can vote early in numerous public places, such as community centers and public libraries. In my opinion, this makes voting even more accessible to citizens, since you have an entire week to make it in to vote, instead of one twelve-hour period. I would love to know how many other states offer early voting.
This also has interesting effects on elections, since candidates have to adapt their campaign strategies to encompass early voting. For example, in the Florida Republican primary election taking place next Tuesday, some Republican candidates were unable to even arrive in Florida until after the first day of early voting was over. As of today, I believe over 300,000 votes have already been cast, even though the technical date for the primary is 1/31/12.
I'm sure there are negative consequences of early voting, such as possible economic burdens for counties offering the option, but as a voter in the Sunshine State, I am very thankful for the option.
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