Final answer:
Early voting is available in 33 states and the District of Columbia, with no excuse required. Over 100 million votes were cast early in the 2020 general election, and states like Colorado have seen increases in turnout due to mail-in voting. Some concerns exist regarding early voters' inability to respond to late-breaking news before elections.
Step-by-step explanation:
Early voting is widely available across the United States, with 33 states and the District of Columbia offering some form of early in-person voting, which does not require an excuse. The availability of early voting starts as early as 45 days before an election in some states, with the average starting time being 22 days prior to Election Day.
In Florida, early voting is heavily utilized and is one of the states that allows voting on weekends, which offers greater flexibility for voters.
An example of the use of early voting in a widespread manner was seen during the 2020 general election where over 100 million votes were cast in this manner. In states like Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, the shift to mail-in voting systems has even led to an increase in voter turnout, exemplified by Colorado's increase from 1.8 million votes in 2010 to 2.6 million votes in 2018.
However, one argument against early and mail-only voting is that it prevents voters from changing their decision in the face of late-breaking news or events, often referred to as "October surprises." A prominent example of this was during the 2000 election when a story about George W. Bush's past DUI arrest broke just before Election Day.