During this election cycle, many political consultants are putting a great deal of their efforts to accommodate early voting. How do you think early voting affects the way candidates campaign to voters?
Kristine

Dear Kristine,

Early voting, also known as “convenience voting,” has become very popular among Florida voters. It has definitely affected the way campaigns are run.  It has meant that political ads (television, radio, direct mail) have to start much earlier. The “front-loading” of ads has had several unintended consequences. One is to increase the cost of campaigns. 

Candidates run ads that are designed to reach the early voters (most often older voters). Once early voting begins, they run ads that are targeted at “late deciders”—usually women and young voters.  Some say it practically doubles the costs of campaigning. 

Another unintended consequence, at least in 2006, has been to dampen voter turnout.  The turnout in the state’s primary election was a dismal 19.6% in spite of the fact that we had a very competitive gubernatorial primary on both sides of the aisle (Democrats and Republicans). 

Part of the explanation is the greater length of time that voters were bombarded with ads due to the fact that “election day” actually lasted several weeks instead of just a single day. With so many negative ads running for so long, many Florida voters just decided to stay home.  The big question mark now is whether this same low turnout pattern will hold true for the general election.

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