Curmudgeon unsure about early voting

An old-time Election Day reenacted in Colonial Williamsburg

Early voting starts October 22 in Illinois. Perhaps it starts sooner in your state, perhaps later, but whenever it does, early voting is increasingly popular.

I'm not too sure about early voting.

I know I'm just one little, lonely vote -- and (largely because of my contrariness) nearly everyone I vote for will lose -- but I'd like my vote to count anyway.

I think of myself as a man of faith. But I just can't muster any real faith that voting downtown, or at the library, will somehow result in my vote being counted at my local precinct on election night. It's hard enough, somehow, to believe that my in-person vote will actually be counted.

I like the feeling of voting on The Appointed Day. It's a festive atmosphere for me -- maybe not as festive as in Colonial Virginia where Thomas Jefferson lost his first election by failing to provide liquor for the local electors -- a mistake he did not thereafter repeat -- but I can imagine people all across the country heading towards the polls on their way to work, just like me, making their voices heard. (And, as noted, usually drowning mine out... but, still....) I like saying hello to all the volunteers who stand in the cold or the rain or whatever, handing out their palm cards. I've been there. I wish them all luck.

By the way, even if you do wait, like I do, to vote on Election Day, don't wait to vote until you're on your way home. This tactic is fraught with peril... at least in Chicago. We had a mayoral election some years back where the CTA trains seemed to develop equipment problems during the evening rush, but only those headed towards neighborhoods that were likely to vote for a particular candidate.

Anyway, this morning I'm curious to know whether any of you who might happen across this post intend to vote early -- and why. Leave a comment.

I'll close with this: If it would make the robocalls stop -- if it would make the attack ads stop clogging the news -- then, you betcha, I'd vote early.

But it wouldn't.

So, really: Why vote early?