I've been helping Obama get re-elected by making phone calls at BarackObama.com. (It's easy! Try it!) :) But one voter I talked to pointed out something very important to me...
She wanted to vote early, but it was still really hard to find information about your early voting location. So I kept her on the phone long enough to track down a good list of early voting locations in Northern California. I figured I'd pass along the information, in case more voters are looking for the same information.
Early voting is an important trend, because it makes it easier for everyone to vote. I still remember stories about the shortage of voting machines in Ohio back in 2004, the crucial swing state which would decide whether George Bush would get a second term. Looking back on that debacle, you realize that early voting could've made a big difference.
Because if lots of people vote early, it means shorter lines on election day for all of the other voters. (Believe it or not, some voters actually get discouraged by the long lines, and turn around without voting.) Democrats always benefit when more people are able to vote.
And one easy way to make that happen is to make sure people actually know where to go cast their votes early!