This article was originally published by iVoterGuide, a Christians Engaged partner.

By Debbie Wuthnow

When should I vote? With early and absentee voting soon to begin for the general election, faith-based voters are asking themselves, “Is it okay to vote early?”

Election Day is exciting. Many of us love going in person to vote and taking part in the process on Election Day. Those who can do so absolutely should!

But what about the exceptions? Is it acceptable to vote early or by absentee ballot? iVoterGuide sorted through all the reasons for and against early voting, and the conclusion is . . . casting a legal vote any time is better than taking a chance that you might not be able to cast a vote at all.

One of our staff members who absolutely could not be persuaded to vote any other time except Election Day was diagnosed with cancer 4 years ago. During her cancer treatment, her widowed elderly father fell. She and her husband became primary caregivers for him on top of fighting her cancer battle. She recently shared with us that she actually missed voting in two local elections . . . because of personal health and family obligations. 

Another staff member shared that, due to medical issues, the chaos and excitement of Election Day voting is now too overwhelming for one of her family members with sensory disorders.

Some people’s work schedules do not allow them to take time off work. Just think of our first responders, health care workers, and many, many others who don’t have 9-to-5 jobs.

One county official told me that nearly 1/3 of campaign staff and candidate families don’t vote because there isn’t enough time to do everything on Election Day. 

Other reasons to vote early include the potential for bad weather, power outages, flat tires, dead batteries, as well as making sure you have adequate time to get to the correct polling place at the right time with the right identification. 

Finally, voting early can free you up to serve as an election worker or poll watcher at a high-risk polling place.

Who Should NOT Vote Early?

Those who have not had a chance to become educated about the candidates should wait to cast their votes until they can gather as much information as possible. iVoterGuide strives to get voter guides ready at least two weeks before early voting, but if information is not yet available, voters should wait to be informed voters. That’s why it’s important to have a plan.

Make a Plan

If you sign-up to get emails from iVoterGuide, we will notify you when voter guides are available, when early voting starts, and send links on how to find your polling place.

We believe that the best way to ensure you get to cast your ballot is to have a plan. So, take a look at the calendar now. Determine whether or not Election Day voting is feasible. If it is not, plan to vote early. Obstacles, no matter how big or small, should never get in the way of an American performing their patriotic duty to vote.

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