Dem
53
Ties
2
GOP
45
A recurrent theme in the Local Bytes reports we've gotten is that people are voting early, and noticing signs of a lot of enthusiasm this year:
B.C. in Phoenix, AZ, writes: On Tuesday, I filled out my mail-in ballot and early the next day I helped my wife and son complete theirs. Some years I take our ballots down to the polls on Election Day, but this year I decided to early vote. So, on Wednesday, I chose the polling venue of the Paradise Valley Town Hall.
Paradise Valley is a suburb just northeast of Phoenix. About 13,000 people live there; around 83% of them are white, and I would bet at least 85% of them are stupid-rich. The primary industries are top-tier hotels, golf resorts, and... top tier hotel golf resorts.
You get an idea of the true affluence of the place when you pull into the town hall's parking lot and note that virtually every parking space is covered parking. Don't want them poor golfing Snowbirds from Chicago and New York to be exposed to the brutal sun of the 74°F high temperature it can get to on Christmas Day in Phoenix! Anyway, I parked my ratty 11-year-old Japanese ride next to an Audi Q8 on one side and a new Toyota must-be-a-servant's Camry on the other, and went inside.
I was directed to a set of double doors on my left where a very pleasant young lady noticed that I had three mail-in envelopes and asked if one of those ballots is mine. I nodded and she instructed me to hold on to my ballot and put the other two into the box slot. After I did that, she pointed me towards another gal who asked for a valid ID. When I showed her my driver's license, she compared it to the voter information on the envelope before scanning a code on the envelope. Information popped up on a screen, and after I confirmed it is my name, address, etc., she touched the screen again so that an electronic sign in box appeared in which I could scribble my name. She then tapped the screen one last time, told me my ballot had been verified and thanked me for voting.
When I pulled up the Maricopa County elections site the next day and entered my information, it said "FINAL NOTIFICATION: Your ballot has been accepted for processing and will be counted." My wife's information that day said "Your ballot was mailed to you." Once they confirm her signature, her ballot will be counted.
I really liked the process. I could have voted without having to pull out any ID, which would simply mean I would have to wait until the ballot was verified. Or I could do what I did, and present my ID at the polling place and verify my ballot right then and there. The key is I had a choice, and isn't that what voting is all about?
C.J. in Burke, VA, writes: I found the letter about early voting from N.K. in Cleveland Heights very interesting. N.K. mentioned that Cuyahoga County has only one early voting site. I live in Fairfax County, VA, and work early voting there. The two counties are about the same size in terms of population, and Cuyahoga is about 17 percent larger in area. Here, we have three early voting sites spread throughout the county, open 45 days before the election. Another 13 voting sites throughout the county open about 10 days before the election. Turnout is up significantly from the previous midterms, and we get relatively short lines from time to time, but no one has to wait 20 or 40 minutes (at least, not where I work). I applaud N.K. for taking the experience so well. Oh, and we also love to yell "first-time voter!" It is the most "fun" we have, embarrassing the young first-timers, and sharing the joy and pride of the older first-timers.
J.H. in Monroe County, NY, writes: My husband and I went to vote early on Sunday afternoon. There are 15 early voting locations in Monroe County, home of Rochester, NY. We are grateful to have such easy access to early voting. On Monday, the Monroe County Board of Elections reported that early voter turnout for 2026 was matching that of 2024, a presidential year! We witnessed it ourselves on Sunday. When early voting in the past, or even voting on Election Day, we have rarely, if ever, had to wait in any kind of a line, but this time we did! With no truly competitive races on our ballot (two of the offices on our ballot have Democrats running unopposed), people are still clearly very engaged and motivated to vote this year. Hopefully that bodes well for areas where there are important, competitive races on the ballot.
K.C. in Louisville, KY, writes: It's only anecdotal evidence, but... early in-person voting opened today (Thursday) in Kentucky. We're still fairly new at this early voting thing, having only done it since the pandemic.
When I arrived at my polling place, I was shocked to see a line out the door. I have never seen such a thing, even in a Presidential election year.
Talking with other people in line, it was clear enthusiasm is huge this year. Every person I talked to said they couldn't wait for a chance to vote.
Considering we have only one statewide race this year (which is not competitive), this leaves me wondering about turnout in other places which actually matter.
M.W. in Braddock Heights, MD, writes: I early voted in Frederick County, in western Maryland, on Monday. I went with three of my roommates, all of whom thought there was going to be a problem voting. One thought their ID needed to match the address of where they are registered. I kept telling them they are registered and they will not be disenfranchised while I am around. We were in and out in less than 5 minutes with no problem. This particular polling place is in the rural part of Frederick County, and every poll worker was looking at us, as we were four noticeably transgender women. I don't think they had ever seen a transperson they knew was trans before in their life. They were respectful and followed the law, which is all I can ask for.
The shills in the parking lot, just outside the range they are legally required to have to be beyond the polling place, didn't even try to converse with us. They were for Dan Cox's (R) campaign for governor, I believe. Part of me loves that they don't try to convince me, knowing it is a lost cause. I don't even listen to their ideas anymore. The Republican Party would have to acknowledge my right to exist and stop their war on the LGBTQQI community for me to change my position. Not likely to happen.
P.W. in Springwater, NY, writes: In ruby-red NY-24, the race actually seems a bit competitive this year. Because I'm an election worker, and not always posted to my district on election day, I often vote early. It's usually relatively quiet—in and out in less than 15 minutes—so I take whichever service puppy I'm raising with me:
It's a great socialization experience since it's a new environment, with just enough voters to practice people greetings and a short amount of time to practice sitting quietly while I complete the ballot. I decided to vote early, just to give Kaylie that experience.
The early voting poll site was the busiest I've ever seen. There was a constant flow of people going in and out, the area inside the doors was crowded, and although Kaylie wasn't too overwhelmed, it was clear that standing in line in that crowd would have been too much of a challenge for an exuberant 4½ month old puppy. We never made it to the actual polls—instead, we practiced people watching (i.e., taking in everything around her without her running up to, and jumping on, every person she saw).
I'm hoping that the increased turnout means more voters who used to skip non-presidential years, as well as new voters, are becoming engaged in this important civic responsibility. Our democracy needs that. And even though Kaylie didn't get to "vote," I'll be able to vote Tuesday, since this year I am stationed in my precinct.
Wishing everyone a happy Election Day!
We swear that we did not coordinate that last letter and the schadenfreude today. It just worked out that way. (Z)