I live in Maryland, my daughter lives in Virgina. She is a first time voter and I wanted to help her find an early voting place. You know, Hurrricane Sandy and all. I was shocked by what I found. The Virgina web site makes it very hard to find out about early voting. It is hard to find out because you can't vote early in Virginia. All they have is absentee voting, and you have to have a good reason, too!
Maryland allows early voting until November 1, including on Sundays. it was easy to find out where to vote early. And absentee voting requires no excuse. One state makes voting easy, the other places obstacles in our way.
I work in downtown Washington DC, with office mates who live in MD, in DC, in VA, and some who come in from by-God West Virginia! They came to DC from all over the county and had to pick some place to live when they got here.
The "smart" ones in my office mostly live in Virgina, having picked it for lower taxes. I know I have better roads and better services, but I often wonder if I made the wrong choice when I chose MD. But tonight, I am proud to be a citizen of the Free State.
8:31 PM PT: You can vote early, but let's be honest, there are obstacles that you Virginians need to fix. For example, "Any person who, in the regular and orderly course of his business, profession, or occupation, will be at his place of work and commuting to and from his home to his place of work for eleven or more hours of the thirteen that the polls are open (6:00 AM to 7:00 PM). " Thanks a lot!
Second Update: VA Board of Elections now responding to Hurricane Sandy by making it easier to vote absentee