Tucson Region

Ernesto Portillo Jr.: Early voting makes it easy, so now you have no excuse

The 2004 election is history, at least for me. I voted Tuesday, two weeks before the Nov. 2 election. That's also el Día de los Muertos, also known as All Souls Day, the traditional day in Mexico devoted to honoring the dead. One of the two presidential candidates, Republican President Bush or Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry, likely will be politically buried that day. I'm a big fan of early voting, as are an increasing number of county residents who do not need more time to mull their selections. Why bother to wait when you can make a decision now? Four years ago I voted early. That time I mailed my ballot. This time I walked into the Downtown County Recorder's Office to cast my ballot. The tiny first-floor office in the old Pima County Courthouse looked busy, and the workers looked worn. "Look at how we're dressed," said County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez, whose sneakers and cropped pants made her look more like a weekend gardener. "We live here. We've been very busy," she said. Early voting increasingly has become a big factor in big elections. Initially it was seen as a way to encourage greater voter turnout. It still is, but early voting, at least in this presidential election, has been embraced by voters who just want the election over. Kathy Saunders arrived to vote after me. And like me, Saunders said she didn't want to hear any more from the candidates or about the issues. "I've known for a long time who I am going to vote for this year," said Saunders, 35, who lives Downtown. The intensity of this year's presidential election has sent voter registrations and early- ballot requests soaring. Nationally, political independent groups are reported to have spent $350 million to register new voters and get them to the polls, according to The New York Times. Across the state, election officials in several counties are overwhelmed with the high number of early-ballot requests. Here in Pima County, voters have requested 164,524 early ballots. It was an office-busting number. More than 3,400 people have voted in person, said Christopher Roads, registrar of voters. The County Recorder's Office has 48 hours to mail out ballots to voters, something it struggled to do. But the backlog has been eliminated, Roads said. The same can't be said for Florida, where electoral missteps may have been repeated. In the 2000 election, Florida ballot controversies marred - some say destroyed - the presidential election between Bush and former Vice President Al Gore. Monday, when early voting began in the Sunshine State, it was gloomy again as some counties experienced problems with the state's new and controversial electronic, touch-screen voting machines. Early voting also began in Texas, Colorado and Arkansas, Wisconsin and Iowa, and in the battleground states of Nevada, Ohio, New Mexico and Pennsylvania. If you know who your candidate is and you want to vote early, there are several locations in the city, in Ajo, Sells and Green Valley. Oct. 29 is the last day to vote early in person. Take a picture identification card. To find specific locations, call the Recorder's Office at 740-4330 or visit www.recorder .pima.gov online. The last day to request an early ballot is Friday. The ballot envelope must be signed by the voter and returned by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Go vote.