“Early voting is a Republican invention”
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Was very common in the 1800s for the similar reasons that you gave. An agrarian society, farmers infrequently came to town. Common to be able to vote for up a month prior to election day for this reason. In other words, the producers didn’t have the luxury of the moochers to vote on just one day.
Only land owners could vote! Moochers were not allowed course they usually died of starvation!