Changes

Early voting has spread as computer technology simplifies the task of preventing multiple votes by the same voter. Early voting has been adopted in many countries, including Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Thailand.  As pushed by [[Democrat]]s, many states in the United States have laws adopting forms of early voting. According to the Early Voting Center at Reed College, the following states allow early voting in 2012: North Carolina, Indiana, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Georgia, Arkansas, Idaho, Maryland, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Louisiana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Florida, California, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada and Hawaii.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://reed.edu/earlyvoting/calendar/|title=Early voting calendar, 2012|accessdate=October 30, 2012}}</ref>

Early voting has spread as computer technology simplifies the task of preventing multiple votes by the same voter. Early voting has been adopted in many countries, including Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Thailand.  As pushed by [[Democrat]]s, many states in the United States have laws adopting forms of early voting. According to the Early Voting Center at Reed College, the following states allow early voting in 2012: North Carolina, Indiana, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Georgia, Arkansas, Idaho, Maryland, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Louisiana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Florida, California, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada and Hawaii.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://reed.edu/earlyvoting/calendar/|title=Early voting calendar, 2012|accessdate=October 30, 2012}}</ref>

In 2008, one-third of Americans voted prior to Election Day, and that fraction continues to increase.  In the [[Mystery:Nevada Election 2010|Nevada Election 2010]], more than half the votes cast were by early voting.  Some states make the list of early voters and absentee voters available to the public or to the political campaigns.

In 2008, one-third of Americans voted prior to Election Day, and that fraction continues to increase.  In the [[Mystery:Nevada Election 2010|Nevada Election 2010]], more than half the votes cast were by early voting.  Some states make the list of early voters and absentee voters available to the public or to the political campaigns.  By contrast, all states make the list of voters available after an election.

Most states allow early voting in some form, but the percentage of votes cast by early voting varies from 100% to just a few percent.

Most states allow early voting in some form, but the percentage of votes cast by early voting varies from 100%, in states where such voting is mandatory, to just a few percent, where liberal machine politics is less powerful.

The convenience voting data for 2010 in the [[swing state]]s for the [[Presidential Election 2012]] is as follows, with bolding for the States which do not allow no-excuse early voting.

Early voting data for 2010 in the [[swing state]]s for the [[Presidential Election 2012]] is as follows, with bolding for the States which do not allow no-excuse early voting, and italic text where such voting is mandatory.

{| class="wikitable"

{| class="wikitable"

|29

|29

|42.5%

|42.5%

|-

|-

|}

|}