For a slow morning, a study on voting by mail. (I favor mail voting, including at least one state’s all-mail vote.) But this study of California voters indicates the big batch of early mail voters may miss subsequent campaign developments (candidates drop out of presidential primaries, for example) and thus not cast the most informed ballots.

Moreover, they discerned that early mail-in votes were more influenced by events taking place just prior to the ballots being sent out. “For example, Mike Huckabee, who didn’t drop out of the race, did better among vote-by-mail voters than precinct voters,” says Malhotra. “This is because the ballots were mailed out just after his huge victory in the Iowa caucuses, when he was getting a lot of media attention. By the time the California primary rolled around, however, he had lost a lot of other primaries, and his campaign had lost momentum. But it was too late for those who had already voted for him by mail.”

Advertisement

Be a Part of the Fight

Step up and make a difference by subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times, the progressive, alternative newspaper in Little Rock that's been fighting for truth for 50 years. Our tough, determined, and feisty journalism has earned us over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, all of whom value our commitment to holding the powerful accountable. But we need your help to do even more. By subscribing or donating, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be supporting our efforts to hire more writers and expand our coverage. Join us in the fight for truth by subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times today.

Previous article NW wind Next article Sen. Lincoln’s opponent