THERE are just 46 days to go before the most divisive presidential election in living memory draws to a close. With polls showing a tightening race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump ahead of their first presidential debate on September 26th, questions about voter turnout loom large. How successful, pundits ask, will the candidates be in persuading their supporters to get out and vote for them on November 8th?
But in many states voting is already underway. Some 5,000 postal votes have already been cast in North Carolina. On September 23rd early voting begins in Minnesota, with New Jersey and South Dakota following on September 24th. In total, 37 states now allow early voting in some form or another. In 2012, 42m people—nearly one-third of all ballots cast—were submitted before election day itself, up from less than 7% of voters in 1992.
At just 54% of the voting-age population, America has one of the worst turnout rates for general elections in the developed world. Proponents of early voting—which is not cost-free as polling stations...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/2cJ81od
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