DES MOINES, IA -
Election Day is nearly two months away, but thanks to early voting people can begin casting ballots in less than three weeks.
Iowa's Sept. 27 start to early voting in-person or by mail is among the first in the nation.
Only three other states allow voters to cast ballots in person earlier - Idaho, South Dakota and Vermont. Wyoming also begins Sept. 27. Another 26 states allow in-person early voting to begin in October, including Nebraska on Oct. 1.
North Carolina is the first state to accept absentee ballots by mail. It started Sept. 6.
Michael McDonald, a George Mason University professor, says campaign organizers like early voting because it lets them focus their efforts in precise ways not possible with voters who cast a ballot on Election Day.
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