At least, it is in Virginia. As Amy Sullivan notes on TIME.com:
Even though bags of candy corn and other Halloween treats have barely hit drugstore shelves, Virginia voters will start casting their ballots on Friday at early voting sites around the commonwealth. Another half dozen states will open up early voting next week before the candidates even meet for their first debate of the campaign. In all, 36 of the 50 states will allow early voting this year, including many key battleground states like Ohio and Colorado. As many as one-third of all voters are expected to make their selection before Election Day.
This new reality is upending traditional campaign strategies, not just for the organizations of Obama and McCain, but also for down-ballot candidates and ballot initiative efforts. And it has hyper compressed the presidential race. No sooner had the nominees selected their running mates and introduced themselves to the nation than they began pivoting to present their closing arguments, as Obama almost appears to be doing in his new two-minute economy ad. In years past, candidates stayed on alert for an “October surprise” that could alter the race at the last minute. In the brave new world of accelerated elections, any October surprise would come too late.
