Lack of early voting in New York could hurt participation

A long line of Marylanders wrapped around a high school gym. Two thousand impatient Texans were waiting for the doors to open in a scene that resembled Black Friday. And New Yorkers are cooling their heels.

In this year's hotly contested mid-term elections, New York is one of 13 states to ban early voting measures that could increase turnout and mitigate election day headaches.

While both parties are mobilizing to motivate their bases and President Trump ignites passions on both sides, many states are seeing unexpected early voting rates, said Professor Michael McDonald of the University of Florida , who heads the United States Elections Project, a national tool for monitoring early voting.

On Saturday, more than 32 million advance votes had been registered and 28 states had exceeded their total advance votes since the last mid-term election in 2014.

"In some places, the numbers are more like a presidential election than a typical mid-term election," McDonald told The Post newspaper. This could indicate "an unusually high turnout for the mid-term elections, perhaps at the same level as the 49% voter turnout recorded in 1966."

This would be a huge improvement over the disappointing 37% participation rate observed at the mid-point in 2014 – and could blur the predictions of experts in congressional races across the country.

Participation in New York is likely to suffer in comparison. The Empire State ranked 48th in the US in 2014 with a participation rate of only 29%, thanks in part to voting on polling day and strict rules for voting by mail.

"We have passed at least five times a bill on early voting at the New York Assembly, but it has never even been introduced in the Senate," said MP Mike Cusick (D- IF). The measure would establish a seven-day advance polling period ending on the Sunday before polling day, with county councils determining the hours and polling locations.

"In a state where there are several Democratic voters, Republicans never want to make voting easier," said Senator Diane Savino (D-SI / Bkln). "And the Democrats were fundamentally willing to look away. We could do it if the political will was there. "