Hurricane Sandy provides Virginia with a perfect example of why it should consider allowing early voting. Of the enumerated list of reasons for voting absentee, not one is anything like "pending storm on the horizon."

What if, instead of a little more than a week before Election Day, the worst of the storm came on Nov. 6? While residents would be urged to stay indoors and not risk driving on dangerous roads, they would also be asked to give up their rights as citizens.

With many storms forecast a full week or more in advance, voters could have been encouraged to come to the polls several days early. Without early voting, this just isn’t possible.

 
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