I am disappointed that Rep. Mayes has taken this direction to undermine the election process for the sake of convenience.

Early voting is a terrible idea on serveral levels. An election is an event of communal pride, not a simple acto of convenience. The Committee for the Study of the American electorate has said that easy absentee voting, for example, has no effect on turnout. It may even slightly decrease it, because voters have to be mobilized over a period of time instead of just one single day.

Early voting also allows voters to cast their ballots before they might receive telling information or important insights into the candidates. Jeff Jacoby has written that having people vote early "is rather like having a judge announce that any juror may vote and go home" when he or she decides that enough evidence has been heard. This is not a good way to make decisions.

I'll give Mayes credit for not advocating a liberalization of absentee voting, because that could surely lead to more voter fraud. Truth is, I'm fed up with mediocre candidates, gerrymandered districts and uncompetitive elections. Nevertheless, I believe in voting on Election Day and not before, because it's our collective time for choosing.

Let's keep it that way.