Early voting lines

You might have heard about early voting -- how you can walk into the county Board of Elections and vote on any day before Election Day. But this photo, from politico.com, shows why voting by mail is a smarter choice at this point.

The picture, taken Sunday outside the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, shows the line for early voting stretching around the block at E. 30th and Euclid. Church buses were streaming in, dropping off voters.

The scene was different last Thursday when I stopped by the Board of Elections. One of the two rooms for early voting was doing a brisk business, while the other was almost empty. But a staffer correctly predicted it would get super-crowded over the weekend -- and stay that way up through the 3rd.

If you'll be downtown in the next couple of days and want to vote early, you might call the Board of Elections (216-443-3200 in Cuyahoga County) and ask what the wait time is like. But after Friday, you're better off going to your polling place on Election Day.