What is "early voting"

n. voting earlier than the voting date such as when performed by mail or online.

Early voting (also called pre-poll voting or advance polling) is the process by which electors can vote prior to the scheduled election day. Early voting can take place remotely, such as postal voting, or in person, usually in designated early voting polling stations. The availability and time periods for early voting vary between jurisdictions and type of election. The goal of early voting is usually to increase voter participation and relieve congestion at polling stations on election day.

The types of people who vote early include people who will be out of the polling area during the election period, poll workers, campaign workers, people with medical procedures scheduled for that time, adherents to religious commitments, among others.

The numbers of voters who vote early has increased in recent years. As unconditional (no excuse) early voting has gained ground, voices have been raised against it as seriously damaging to the democratic process.