When should I vote? With early and absentee voting soon to begin for the general election, faith-based voters are asking themselves: “Is it okay to vote early?”

Election Day is exciting. Many of us love going in person to vote and taking part in the process on Election Day. Those who can do so absolutely should.

But what about the exceptions? Is it acceptable to vote early or by absentee ballot? iVoterGuide sorted through all the reasons for and against early voting, and the conclusion is: Casting a legal vote at any time is better than taking a chance that you might not be able to cast a vote at all.

One of our staff members who absolutely could not be persuaded to vote any other time except Election Day was diagnosed with cancer four years ago. During her cancer treatment, her widowed elderly father fell. She and her husband became primary caregivers for him on top of fighting her cancer battle. She recently shared with us that she actually missed voting in two local elections because of personal health and family obligations.

Another staff member shared that — due to medical issues — the chaos and excitement of Election Day voting is now too overwhelming for one of her family members with sensory disorders.

Some people’s work schedules do not allow them to take time off work. Just think of our first responders, healthcare workers and many, many others who do not have nine-to-five jobs.

One county official told me that nearly one-third of campaign staff and candidate families don’t vote because there is not enough time to do everything on Election Day.

Other reasons to vote early include the potential for bad weather, power outages and vehicle issues, as well as making sure you have adequate time to get to the correct polling place at the right time with the right identification.

Finally, voting early can free you up to serve as an election worker or poll watcher at a high-risk polling place.

Who should not vote early?

Those who have not had a chance to become educated about the candidates should wait to cast their votes until they can gather as much information as possible. iVoterGuide strives to get voter guides ready at least two weeks before early voting, but if the information is not yet available, voters should wait to be informed voters. That is why it is important to have a plan.

Is there a problem with early voting?

The Heritage Foundation has found approximately 1,546 instances of recent voter fraud. It is as sad as it is true — America’s election integrity has drastically declined. Voting on Election Day can be risky if there are any issues at the polling places. In 2020, dozens of polling places in Houston had issues with a lack of supplies and machines that did not work, and hundreds of voters left without casting a ballot. Voting early makes you less vulnerable to any unforeseen circumstances that might occur on Election Day.

While the media often portrays voter fraud as an evident, blatant crime, the truth is that fraudulent voting can easily go unrecognized as it can simply be an election official overlooking a duplicate vote. We have all overlooked duplicate words in our sentences or missing letters in our words, but how bad would it be to make that mistake when reviewing votes?

How do you know who to pick? Who can you trust to maintain the integrity of your state’s elections? Exodus 18:21 says: “But select capable men from all the people — men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain — and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.”

America needs help. Our nation needs men and women in office who fear God and are trustworthy and honest. What better place to start electing godly, honest leaders than this upcoming Election Day on November 5? The influence of presidents, senators, representatives and other elected officials spread into administrative roles, campaigns and more. Therefore, vote for candidates whose influence will be trustworthy, honest and God-fearing.

Make a plan.

We believe that the best way to ensure you get to cast your ballot is to have a plan. So, take a look at the calendar now. Determine whether or not Election Day voting is feasible. If it is not, plan to vote early. Obstacles, no matter how big or small, should never get in the way of an American performing their patriotic duty to vote.

Debbie Wuthnow is the president of iVoterGuide, a division of AFA Action, and a member of the Board of Directors of AFA Action.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.