Process by which electors can vote prior to the scheduled election day
This article is about the voting process. For the American Thoroughbred racehorse, see Early Voting.
Part of the Politics series
Voting
Balloting
Ballots
Absentee ballot
Provisional ballot
Sample ballot
Candidates and Ballot measures
Write-in candidate
Electorate
Slate
Ticket
Collection
Ballot box
Compulsory voting
Early voting
Electronic voting
Open ballot
Polling place
Postal voting
Precinct
Vote center
Voting booth
Counting
Popular vote
Tally
Voting machine
Electoral systems
Plurality and majoritarian systems
First-past-the-post voting
Two-round system
Instant-runoff voting
Plurality-at-large voting
General ticket
Usual judgment
Proportional and semi-proportional systems
Single non-transferable vote
Cumulative voting
Binomial system
Party-list
Single transferable voting
Spare vote
Mixed-member systems
Mixed-member proportional
Additional member system
Mixed single vote (positive vote transfer)
Scorporo (negative vote transfer)
Mixed ballot transferable vote
Alternative Vote Plus
Dual-member proportional
Rural–urban proportional
Majority bonus system
Parallel voting (Mixed member majoritarian)
Voting strategies
Issue voting
Fusion voting
Split-ticket voting
Straight-ticket voting
Tactical voting
Vote pairing
Protest votes
Abstention
Donkey vote
Election boycott
None of the above
Refused ballot
Spoilt vote
Voting patterns and effects
Coattail effect
Likely voter
Paradox of voting
Passive electioneering
Vote splitting
Political apathy
Voter fatigue
Voter turnout
Protest votes
Electoral fraud
Ballot harvesting
Ballot stuffing
Felony disenfranchisement
Vote buying
Voter suppression
Voter caging
Prevention
Election ink
Secret ballot
Voter registration
Politics portal
v
t
e
Early voting, also called advance polling or pre-poll voting, is a convenience voting process by which voters in a public election can vote before a scheduled election day. Early voting can take place remotely, such as via postal voting, or in person, usually in designated early voting polling stations. The availability and time periods for early voting vary among jurisdictions and types of election. The goals of early voting are usually to increase voter participation, relieve congestion at polling stations on election day, and avoid possible discrimination against people with work and travel schedules that may effectively prohibit them from getting to the polls during the hours provided in a single election day.
In some countries, early in-person voting or postal voting (or both) are available to all voters. In other countries, only some voters (such as those who are expected to be out of the country or hospitalized on election day are eligible) are eligible to cast ballots via these methods.[1]
^Thomas Heinmaa, "Special Voting Arrangements (SVAs) in Europe: In-Country Postal, Early, Mobile and Proxy Arrangements in Individual Countries", International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (October 19, 2020).
Earlyvoting, also called advance polling or pre-poll voting, is a convenience voting process by which voters in a public election can vote before a scheduled...
Voteearly and vote often is a generally tongue-in-cheek phrase used in relation to elections and the voting process. Though rarely considered a serious...
Different voting systems allow each voter to cast a different number of votes - only one (single voting as in First-past-the-post voting, Single non-transferable...
Electronic voting is voting that uses electronic means to either aid or take care of casting and counting ballots including voting time. Depending on...
Compulsory voting, also called universal civic duty voting or mandatory voting, is the requirement that registered voters participate in an election....
Postal voting is voting in an election where ballot papers are distributed to electors (and typically returned) by post, in contrast to electors voting in...
correction of errors. Opponents of earlyvoting argue that it can decrease overall turnout, lead to poorly informed voting, and increase costs for campaigns...
Weighted voting refers to voting rules that grant some voters a greater influence than others (which contrasts with rules that assign every voter an equal...
Strategic or tactical voting is voting in consideration of possible ballots cast by other voters in order to maximize one's satisfaction with the election's...
of the total votes were cast over the internet. The term Power voting (or e-voting) can refer to both fixed voting locations (as in voting booths) and...
electronic voting machines. Traditionally, a voting machine has been defined by its mechanism, and whether the system tallies votes at each voting location...
unprecedented levels of postal voting and earlyvoting. Voter turnout greatly exceeded recent elections; one projection has turnout by voting eligible population...
Vote swapping, also called co-voting or vote pairing, occurs when a voter in one district agrees to vote tactically for a less-preferred candidate or party...
Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) is a United States federal law dealing with elections and voting rights for United States citizens...
should be no voting on the Sabbath. House Bill 531 passed the House in a party-line vote on March 1, 2021. After outcry, the Sunday earlyvoting restriction...
with voting laws, even in blue states. McWhirter, Aruna Viswanatha and Cameron (June 25, 2021). "Georgia's New Voting Law Aims to Restrict Black Vote, Justice...
and most nations use 18 as their voting age, but for other countries voting age ranges between 16 and 21. Voting age may therefore coincide with a country's...
half the votes.[citation needed] In 2016, Maine became the first state to adopt instant-runoff voting (known in the state as ranked-choice voting) statewide...
means right to vote while "stemmeplikt" means that voting is compulsory. Peru: voting is obligatory "Requirements for Registration - Vote For Us". www.voteforus...
voting takes a variety of forms and reflects numerous voter motivations, including political apathy. Where voting is compulsory, casting a blank vote...
Member of Parliament may actively abstain by voting both "yes" and "no". This is effectively the same as not voting at all, as the outcome will not be changed...
as in the rest of Japan. Voting rights in the United States Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act Federal voting rights in Puerto Rico The...
nationwide "one man, one vote" electoral system. Since the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Twenty-fourth Amendment, and related laws, voting rights have been legally...
improve the efficiency of voting by the introduction of postal voting and remote electronic voting. Some countries permit proxy voting, but some argue this...
Some paper-based voting systems and most DRE voting machines can notify voters of under-votes and over-votes. The Help America Vote Act requires that...
23-point voting access expansion program, which included promotion of voting by mail, expansion of earlyvoting accessibility, and drive-through voting, an...
attempt to register voters, then get them to vote, by absentee ballot, earlyvoting or election day voting. GOTV is generally not required for elections...
seen as beneficial by all parties, and the voting process has been streamlined in order to encourage voting. Registration is automatic and based on the...
Global Information
Politics portal