Since 2005, Ohio has allowed voters to cast absentee ballots, usually by mail, weeks in advance of Election Day. Before that, voters had to give a reason such as being out of town or in the hospital. John Green is director of the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics, and says the numbers, and types, of people taking advantage of early voting are on the rise.

Green adds that, as voters gain confidence in absentee ballots, internet voting may be the next step in the evolution of the electoral process.