(CNN)Today is Election Day. So is tomorrow. Yesterday too. So, why do we insist on counting down to November 3? The Covid-19 pandemic has vastly accelerated a trend that has been building for years: voting early. Americans are casting their ballots by mail, drop box or at early voting locations in record numbers this year.
As we count down to November 3, more than 60 million Americans have already cast their ballots, topping the total of all early votes four years ago. And early polling has only just started in states like New York, Massachusetts, Maryland and elsewhere.
Why then do pundits, reporters and political campaigns still refer to “Election Day”? Across social media and campaign spots, candidates, their surrogates and political commentators talk about the hours until “polls open” next Tuesday.
Granted, November 3 will see huge turnout — including voters who show up because their states have not sufficiently loosened policies to accommodate the pandemic, because voting by absentee or by mail proved impractical or simply because they forgot to do so earlier. But some polls now indicate that less than half of voters plan to cast their ballots on Election Day itself.
It’s time to retire the term “Election Day” and replace it with a far more clear and more accurate term: “the last day of voting.” As for the stage we’re in now? Easy: “Election season.” This is more than an arcane exercise in etymology. Focusing on the anachronistic notion of a singular election day is a disservice to the public who are already confused by where and how to vote. Worse, it risks reinforcing the notion that in-person day-of votes are more legitimate than votes by mail, a falsehood propagated by President Donald Trump and his allies.
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