OMG! Before you freak out and think I've gone to the dark side (GOP) and are trolling for Mitt Romney, I'm just stating that we should take advantage of the early voting deadlines. You can vote for the Presidential election and downballot tickets right now in Iowa, and early voting begins in Ohio on October 2nd. Follow me below the squiggle for more early voting information.
As of right now, 35 states allow for early voting in this year's presidential election. Granted, one of those states (Oregon) has mandated early voting for several election cycles now, since they require all votes be done by mail. But for the more traditional type of voting, more states are making it possible to vote early, so take advantage of it if you can. Of course, in most states you can probably already obtain an absentee ballot, but in-person voting is scheduled to begin in many states very shortly.
Here are some key dates in some states for in-person early voting.
Iowa - Early voting has already begun
Idaho - Early voting has already begun
South Dakota - Early voting has already begun
Vermont - Early voting has already begun
Wyoming - Early voting has already begun
Ohio - October 2nd
California - October 7th
Indiana - October 9th
Nebraska - October 10th
Arizona - October 11th
Georgia - October 15th
Kansas - October 17th
Tennessee - October 17th
North Carolina - October 18th
Nevada - October 20th
New Mexico - October 20th
Alaska - October 22nd
Arkansas - October 22nd
Colorado - October 22nd
District of Columbia - October 22nd
Illinois - October 22nd
North Dakota - October 22nd
Texas - October 22nd
Wisconsin - October 22nd
Hawaii - October 23rd
Louisiana - October 23rd
Utah - October 23rd
West Virginia - October 24th
Florida - October 27th
Maryland - October 27th
Oklahoma - November 2nd
Source: 270 To Win
Before you rush out or leisurely go to the early polling places, check with your local board of elections to see how long your early voting period lasts. Some states will let you vote up through election day while others will only allow a specified period for early voting. So get your vote out early, and tell your friends to do the same.