Why do some people vote early? Because it means shorter lines and it is more convenient for some people than voting on Election Day.

“This way people can choose what day they want to vote on at their convenience,” said Diane Cashion who is the election commissioner for Weakley County; “I voted early because Election Day is a very busy day for me.”

It wasn’t that long ago that it was only absentee voters that could vote early. Today it is a convenience for registered voters to take advantage of.

“I vote early because it is convenient for me,” said Donna Hazelwood of Martin.

“If it is the difference of voting or not, by all means get out and take care of business early. You want your voice to be heard.”

Some people have registered to vote through the mail. There are some rules applied to this process.

If you have registered to vote through the mail you must vote in person the first time. After you vote in person the first time any other time you can vote through the mail.

From the recent polls it looks as though it is going to be a close race this election year.

According to the USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll President George Bush has 51% of the vote and John Kerry has 46%, Ralph Nader has 1% and 2% of the population are undecided.

Every vote is going to be crucial in this election, all the more reason to get out there and vote. If Election Day is not convenient for you then the option to vote early might just be the answer.

In the 6th district 167 people have voted early in person. The last day to early vote is the 28th of this month. In the 6th district with ward two and three combined there are 1,715 registered voters; this is where UTM is located. If there are any registered voters who are interested in voting early they can do so at the Election Commission office at 135 Popular Street in Dresden. The polls are going to be open this week Monday through Friday 8:30 am until 4:30 pm.

To vote on November the 2nd you should go to the following places:

5th district – Buster William Fire Station 6th district - Trinity Presbyterian Church 7th district – Martin Middle School 8th district – First United Methodist Church