Early voting began in Ohio today with a twist. Between now and October 6th, the state’s deadline for registering to vote in the general election, any voter can walk into an early voting site, complete their voter registration, and then cast a ballot. All in the same day. It’s kind of an EDR* special offer. Limited! For a short time only! Enjoy the progressive electoral policy enjoyed by voters in eight states across the country! An Ohio judge upheld the practice yesterday, making way for a week in which scores of homeless people and students intend to take advantage of the opportunity. Republicans opposed the policy, which was the work of Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. But they still encouraged Republican voters to get out there and cast their McCain/Palin ballots early.

takepart Contact your local election office to find out the registration deadline, and whether or not your state has early voting or no-excuse absentee voting.

*Election Day Registration

Maggie Bowman is a filmmaker living in Chicago who produced Election Day (Arts Engine/Big Mouth Films), a vérité documentary that follows a dozen American voters on November 2, 2004. She has worked on films about Haitian presidential elections, Catholic seminarians, American mothers, and Artic villagers. Prior to her work in film, Maggie was a union organizer and consultant for five years, working on campaigns with taxi drivers in the Bronx, nurses in Chicago, and home health aides in Brooklyn, among others. She likes taking walks through Chicago alleys.