Members of city council voted to spend close to $30,000 on early voting sites. Early voting is a great way for people who don’t work normal hours to man polling places and otherwise collect people who might not ordinarily vote. It is particularly helpful in getting people who don’t work normal hours to same-day register and vote.
Masters of disguise, if so inclined, would have an easier time of casting illegal votes. But, more practically, members of council could examine the demographics of early voters and decide if the practice was in their best interests for re-election. They could even compare the odds of getting volunteers of one stripe or the other to staff the polls, recruit voters, and drive vote-mobiles.
The two moderates likely to be ousted voted against the measure. They claimed the expense was exorbitant. The most progressive on council liked the idea, claiming it was for the people and democracy. Either way, council members were in a position of voting on how they thought they could best be re-elected. Coincidentally, the votes were exactly aligned with public perceptions of how council members would have voted on behalf of self-interest. Councilman Jan Davis some time ago questioned the wisdom of council members being put in that situation. Since the majority on council was in favor of having more voting sites open to the moldable unemployed, they will enjoy an advantage toward reinforcing their ideologies after the next election.
