A Bright Spot

Necessity is the mother of invention, and the move to make voting easier and safer as a presidential election is being held in the midst of a pandemic has been a revelation.

Across New York State, at least 2.2 million people took advantage of the nine-day window to vote in person before Election Day, guaranteeing that their votes would be counted along with the rest of the in-person ballots on Tuesday. In Suffolk County, more than 100,000 voters went to one of the 12 polling sites — about the same number as those who took advantage of eased limits on absentee ballots in the midst of COVID-19. The absentee ballots won’t be tallied until later in November, to give the Postal Service a chance to deliver the ones postmarked by Election Day.

The revelation: Though early voting had existed last year, it was lightly used by voters. This year, with both the pandemic and the overwhelming interest in the presidential election, there were frequently lines at the designated polling places in East Hampton and Southampton towns on most days, particularly early on, when many spent hours in line, sometimes in the cold and rain.

In a sense, they voted with their feet for the idea that Election Day, as a single opportunity to cast a ballot as an American citizen, is no longer tenable. So many states have made it easier to vote by mail, or by offering an extended window for in-person voting — and regardless of the partisan arguments, and vacuous warnings that greater participation leads to more voter fraud, the more voters who participate, the better democracy functions.

New York State must recognize this success and build on it, expanding funding to local boards of elections to staff more early voting locations, particularly in presidential elections, to try to cut down on the massive lines that formed this year. It was unexpected, and probably unavoidable, this time. There will be no excuse in the future.

In a campaign season so fraught with stress, there is a bright spot: The state, and much of the country, truly is making an effort to listen to every single voter. It’s something to celebrate.