Did you feel a touch of envy last week when you saw pictures of former President George Bush casting a ballot for his son — 10 days before Election Day?
Did your heart skip a beat when you heard the enthusiasm of the man in Florida who told reporters he voted early because he couldn't wait to vote against the current administration, or the chest-thumping bravado of the man there who said he arrived early so as to be among the first people anywhere to cast a vote in support of the president?
Champing at the bit to poke holes in your own ballot, are you? Well, too bad.
In Utah, the quaint notion of Election Day still holds sway. The idea of an Election season (the 12 days of voting?) hasn't caught on here, yet. Neither, by the way, has the notion that punch-ballot voting is a communist plot. Utah and Ohio are the only two places left where Chad is more than just a male name for most voters.
People used to joke about voting "early and often." Now, half of that joke is no longer funny. Let's just hope it doesn't make the second half a joke on us.
And let's hope the people who are so eager to cast a ballot in the presidential race also remember they will be voting in several local and statewide races, as well. It's one thing to be cock-sure about Bush or Kerry way in advance, but quite another to decide who is best for the school board. The polling booth is no time for a "whoops" moment — discovering you forgot to research all the candidates and issues. When it comes to the most precious right anyone has in a free society, patience and deliberation still are virtues.
A total of 35 states now allow either early voting or what is known as in-person absentee voting, which is virtually the same thing. Others even allow overseas voters to vote by fax, if they agree to give up the right to a secret ballot.
All of this has added a new twist to the season. Suddenly, campaigns don't seem as sure any more about how to organize that last-minute blitz. As for the voters, well, what if something big happens during those last 10 days? What if a candidate is caught in a compromising position next week or, heaven forbid, is assassinated? What if Osama bin Laden is captured and al-Qaida is forced to lay down its arms and support freedom?
Here's a far-fetched example: What if a candidate drops out of a county mayor's race and a new one replaces her on the ballot? Too bad. Your vote is in and you can't change it.
After the 2000 debacle, Americans seem intent on not just thinking out of the electoral box, but of throwing the box away and scattering its contents everywhere. A lot of states seem to be using the "ready! fire! aim!" approach. No one really knows much about the long-term consequences to all of this.
One day, of course, we will all vote from home via the Internet, if only someone can find a way to make such a thing even reasonably secure. It's inevitable. Perhaps then we could institute a system that allows people to cast ballots early, but to change them right up until the polls close on the final day. Imagine a presidential debate where a graphic shows the ebb and flow of the voters as each question is answered.
Wouldn't that be fun? We could put Barnum and Bailey in charge.
I'm one of those 20th century dinosaurs who believes elections should at least have a vestige of formality and dignity. I think the Boston Herald got it right last week when it said, "But as the trend spreads, as we make voting as exciting, as filled with majesty as filling out an insurance form, we will be missing out on something. There has always been a kind of shared communal experience about Election Day, about running a gauntlet of signs and the enthusiastic supporters who hold them."
Last year, when Gov. Olene Walker was still lieutenant governor, she supported a 10-day voting period in Utah. I agreed with her then, but mainly because it held the promise of reducing the cost of expensive new voting equipment. If 30 percent of the people voted early, the Election Day crunch wouldn't be so taxing on the individual polling places.
But Utah, wisely, has decided to let other states pioneer new voting machines and extended voting. We know where it's all heading. Resistance is futile. But that doesn't mean we have to run to get there.
As interesting as it was to watch the former president vote in October, it has been frightening to see the problems in Florida and elsewhere and to watch the lawsuits pile up like cord wood. I'm happy to be some place where this kind of progress goes slowly —where voting still takes some initiative and effort.
Jay Evensen is editor of the Deseret Morning News editorial page. E-mail: even@desnews.com