Why does early voting/absentee tend to favor democrats?
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  Why does early voting/absentee tend to favor democrats?
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Author Topic: Why does early voting/absentee tend to favor democrats?  (Read 1931 times)
Matty
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« on: October 12, 2014, 04:46:06 PM »

Even in races that end up being republican victories, democrats tend to to quite well in the early voting/mail/absentee voting. Why is this?
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Lief 🗽
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« Reply #1 on: October 12, 2014, 04:53:21 PM »

Democratic constituencies are more likely to be unable to vote in person on election day.

Also, early voting/absentee does not always favor Democrats. In Texas, for instance, the results of early voting and election day are usually pretty much the same.
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Vega
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« Reply #2 on: October 12, 2014, 05:15:24 PM »

Pretty much what Lief said.
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Indy Texas
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« Reply #3 on: October 12, 2014, 09:32:15 PM »

Early Voting = People who work in jobs lacking the autonomy to come in late/leave early on a Tuesday to vote on Election Day

Absentee Ballots = Elderly people who lack transportation

The above groups tend to vote for Democrats.
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bedstuy
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« Reply #4 on: October 12, 2014, 11:01:47 PM »

Early Voting = People who work in jobs lacking the autonomy to come in late/leave early on a Tuesday to vote on Election Day

Absentee Ballots = Elderly people who lack transportation

The above groups tend to vote for Democrats.

It's also a factor of strategy.  Democratic voters tend to be the lower turnout voters so the marginal utility of early voting as a strategy is higher.  It's essentially extended GOTV. 

Democrats in states like Iowa also tend to have strong grassroots energy.  Whereas the Republican strategy is more of a top down direct-mail, radio ad and television strategy.  That's partially because their rabid base voters are more likely to write a check and less likely to engage in direct field organizing like canvassing a college campus or a county fair.  That's especially true in Iowa where the Presidential campaigns create this institutional memory about effective field organizing and GOTV. 
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