Is "early voting" the way to go?

Deciding if you like a play after the first act seems unfair. Maybe it will get better or worse; you can't truly judge until you see the whole play.

This is kind of how I feel about early voting. How do you know what will happen until you see how this all plays out?

Those in Virginia, Kentucky, and Georgia are among the first states to be able to vote in person or by mail. At least 34 states and the District of Columbia allow the process.

Early voting is great if you absolutely know who you will vote for, and you want to make sure your vote gets in. I know someone who is due to give birth around Election Day; someone like her would want to vote early.

And we do need to have a system where we avoid having last-minute rushes to the polls. The images of massive lines to vote: St. Louis in 2000, Cleveland in 2004 were encouraging to democracy but a disgraceful sign as to how poorly elections are run.

But for the undecided voters, the uncertain ones, to decide before the debates seems hasty. Imagine if you voted for John McCain on Tuesday, despite all that has happened, and he suspends his campaign on Thursday. How foolish would you feel?   

But perhaps I am in the minority. From the Los Angeles Times:

About 14% of the electorate chose early balloting in the 2000 campaign. That figure jumped to 20% in 2004, and this time around it could rise to more than 30%, according to Paul Gronke, head of the early voting information center at Reed College in Oregon.

I like the thrill of waking up early on Election Day and going to vote. To see the faces on Election Day to gauge turnout or how people feel about their vote. But if there are fewer people on Election Day, that thrill might be disappearing if early voting really takes off.

If you really aren't sure, wait it out. As wild as this ride has been with McCain to this point, there is always room for something wackier to come. I wouldn't want to miss a thing.

Have you had experience with early voting? Was it positive or negative? Is it worth taking the time to do so early? Share your experiences with us.