[EL] Equal protection, absentee voting rules, and "age-mandering"

[Rob Richie]

This item was in the ever-helpful electionline.org weekly update:

<<*Virginia*: This week, the Senate backed a bill that would allow
Virginians age 65 and older to cast an absentee ballot without needing to
provide an excuse<http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-politics/senate-backs-absentee-voting-for-seniors/2013/01/21/433e26aa-6438-11e2-b84d-21c7b65985ee_story.html>.
Last week the Senate killed a bill that would have allowed all voters to
cast an absentee ballot without an excuse. >>

What's interesting to me is that this can have clear ideological/partisan
consequences. For example, in the 2012 Republican presidential primary,
only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul made the ballot. Ron Paul defeated Romney by
double digits among voters under 45, but was trounced among older votes
(and more of those older voters participated).

We already know the median voter in primaries is substantially older than
the median registered voter (let along eligible voter) -- and this standard
would seemingly further entrench the difference.

At what point does a blanket option for voters older than 65 create an
equal protection argument when younger people aren't given the same
opportunity even though younger people often have more  Election Day
conflicts due to the working day and parenting responsibilities?

Rob

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