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The example reproduced above is another example of political humor that is updated and recycled every election year, a jape first chronicled back in 2000: The premise is, of course, that tricking supporters of one party into voting on the second election day will nullify their ballots, because they will be cast too late to be accepted and counted. This form of humor moved closer to the dirty tricks column than the funny jokes column in late October 2008, when it was circulated in Virginia on fliers bearing the name and logo of the Virginia State Board of Elections as well as the logo of the Commonwealth of Virginia: The joke reared its ugly head again in 2016, when Mansfield, George, mayor Jefferson Riley posted it to his Facebook page (with no disclaimer or other indicator it was intended as humor): Riley's action prompted predictably angry responses: In Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, someone put up flyers on 8 November 2016 with the following, familiar misinformation: The same joke is circulating in advance of the 2020 election. Election Day 2020 is Tuesday, November 3, for everyone. If you haven't already taken advantage of some alternative form of casting your ballot (e.g., voting ahead of Election Day in a locale that allows for early voting, sending in an absentee ballot, voting by mail) and you plan to vote at a polling place, you need to turn out on Election Day — showing up on November 4 won't work. Although this item may seem like a bit of obvious and frivolous election year humor, it's bound to fool or confuse some people, and when it made the rounds of the Internet as far back as 2000, officials started making grumbling noises about seeking prosecutions for voter fraud. The old Chicago aphorism says to vote early and vote often. The part about voting early, at least, is good advice: If you haven't already cast a ballot, make sure you show up at the polls on Tuesday, November 3, not some other day — no matter which party you're voting for.
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