Who is a typical late voter?

[pstokely]

I'm assuming that it's an undecided voter, people who are decided are voting early where it's available. Dems are outnumbering Repukes in some places but it looks like undecided voters are independents who will show up late if they even decide at all. Problem is many of these undecided voters are those who came out to vote for Obama but may not have even looked at the rest of the ballot. If there is an enthusiasm gap with people who voted for Obama, it's not with the Dem base, it's with typical nonvoters who don't follow politics or hate politics. Dems who are disappointed with Obama will vote to because they don't like Repukes but independent nonvoters don't seem to care. Repukes will come out no matter what, maybe not in huge numbers like the media says.

[left coaster]

1. hmmm.. long time Dem voter here.. as are my husband, and our two sons..

We all vote on election day.. is that considered voting late?

[pstokely]

4. Is early voting available in your area?

I'll be showing up as soon as the polls open.

[left coaster]

7. Our polling place opens at 7 a.m. nt

[awoke_in_2003]

16. who cares?...

for most of my life, election day is the Tuesday after the first monday in November. Old habits die hard.

[applegrove]

2. I read on the DU a few months ago that the end of day voter was a democrat.

I'm guessing it is people who work (and can't take the day off: unlike the retired, small business owners, rich people, etc.)and have to go home, feed & watch the kids and make time to vote, all within a few hours.

[pstokely]

5. But what about in places where early voting is available?

That's the question

[dragonlady]

11. Early voting may be in limited locations

In Milwaukee, for example, all early voting is at the city hall annex downtown, during the working day except for a couple of Saturday dates. It could be a hassle to go there and find parking. More convenient to wait and vote at your neighborhood polling place.

[sammytko]

25. Ours is at the probation office and no don't want to go there

8 miles away in antother town, so I'd rather wait and just go down the street to the Catholic church.

[left coaster]

6. Apple, it's our family tradition to go together to the poll.

This year I'm unemployed, so I could go any time tomorrow.. :( but I will wait to join the rest of my family and vote when they get home from work.

[applegrove]

12. Thatta way to do it left coaster. I did the same thing with my brother last week in Ontario, Canada.

Make it an event because voting is a bid deal.

[Hekate]

3. What do you mean by late voter? I go to the polls on Election Day, just like always.

If I go later than that, the polls are closed. It's a tradition that's held for a couple of centuries now.

Hekate

[awoke_in_2003]

17. +1000. nt

[shraby]

8. Long time voters in this house and we vot e on election day.

[Arkana]

9. I'm not voting

...until tomorrow, that is.

[emulatorloo]

10. Some people (DEMS I know) just like the THRILL of voting on election day

I like your analysis though.

[CitizenLeft]

18. I'm one of those, especially in presidential elections.

Mid-terms, though... I'll do absentee from now on.

[slackmaster]

26. I always wonder about the possibility of a candidate dying or withdrawing at the 11th hour

Or some revelation about a scandal coming out the day before the election.

[vaberella]

27. Nah...for Black voters---they don't want their vote stolen. It's always in the back of their head.

Always.

[golfguru]

13. My family votes on election day only because

it saves me 4 postage stamps hehe..
I just drop off the 4 votes in a nearby drop off place on the way to the golf course.
It is open only on election day. The envelopes are ready and sealed and signed.

[oswaldactedalone]

14. Here's my observation

Today, while using the OFA phone bank tool at my place of business(when you own the place you can do what you want some days) I had the voter registration data pulled up for each person I phoned. It gave the info on when they voted over the past 10 years. Most of the people I called were first time voters in '08 and many were well past their 20s, and some were in their 50s. One African-American lady was listed as 92 years old, and according to the state of NC, she had only voted once in the past ten years and that was in '08.

So, we're not going to get a certain percentage of first time, or infrequent voters out. I think that's pretty clear. Still, everyone has to have their own personal GOTV strategy tomorrow. I'm driving people to the polls but when there's downtime, I'm going to give out voter guides where I see likely Dem voters. Do everything you can to max out our vote.

[awoke_in_2003]

15. I don't think I am a late voter...

just a force of habit- election is Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

[LiberalFighter]

19. Can the term typical be used in a situation where the norm is to vote on a particular day?

[Raine]

20. Voting on ELECTION DAY is not voting late and

I like the special feeling I get doing it on that day, it's a traditon I want to keep.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

21. It's Funny

If you vote on Election Day as people have been doing for years, before the advent of early voting, you are a late voter now.

I suspected "undecided" voters fall into two camps; those that agonize over the issues and candidates and those that have no clue what is going on.

[slackmaster]

22. There is no such thing as a late voter.

Either you vote on time, or you don't vote.

Polls don't even open here for another 3 hours and some. I need a couple more cycles of sleep. The only reason I'm up now is that Claw Boy demanded food.

[ampad]

23. I voted late

We have mail in voting in Washington state. I mailed my ballot out yesterday morning. It was not because of Patty Murray. I wanted to research some of the initiatives and there were a couple of judges on the ballot that I have never heard of. I guess that is something to think about. Maybe some of the undecideds are undecided about initiatives and not so much on the big house and senate races.

[vaberella]

24. No...that's wrong. Black and Hispanic voters are the voters who definitely go day of.

And overall Dems. No Black person votes early unless they in some way trust the system or been pushed into voting early (like myself since I'm overseas) and I don't know many who do.

[JustAnotherGen]

28. I agree

but I'm both black and a ‘female voter’. My great great grandmother was thrown in jail for trying to vote for my great great grandfather in Denver’s mayoral race. (Caucasian side of the family)

My father’s mother never voted in Alabama until 1968. My grandfather always voted but felt even in 1964 it was too dangerous for her to go vote (the black side of my family).

Descending from these people - I feel like I’m voting on behalf of Dorothy Hill in the late mid teens of the last century and Mary Ragland in 1964. I owe it to them to show up and put a face to my vote. ;-)

[vaberella]

29. Respect. I agree.

I'm also a Black/Female voter---we never really are counted apart, are we?! We're just a color, and not a gender. White women just don't know how lucky they are---that they're respected at least on two fronts and seen as their vote "matters"---we on the other---we're the other.

I'm a first generation American and I see it as my duty to vote for the exact same reason as you. For all those who died and struggled to allow me to vote in this country.