Scott Presler is an interesting figure. In one sense, he’s just a regular guy registering voters, but he’s taken his philosophy to a national audience in a way no other Republican has in recent memory.

Because of that on-the-ground commitment in key states, Presler has gained broad appeal within even competing segments of the GOP. Everyone likes the guy because he checks the pettiness at the door and does what few are willing to do: Actually put in the work to win elections.

Whether that effort has always been rewarded with victory isn’t the point. If you don’t try to win, you never will win, and Presler has inspired Republicans to think tactically again instead in a time when emotion has been valued over everything else.

Presler is once again shaking things up, this time by touching the third rail of Republican politics during the Trump era. He’s actively promoting early voting.

Here’s why I’m pushing for early voting:

✔️Maricopa County, AZ, machines had errors…on Election Day

✔️Luzerne County, PA, & Harris County, TX, ran out of paper ballots…on Election Day

✔️In Washoe County, NV, it snowed…on Election Day

If we’re going to make Joe Biden a… pic.twitter.com/uztGZUJxiE

— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) July 21, 2023

Hammer, meet nail. For too long, Republicans have falsely convinced themselves that there’s something uniquely safe about election-day voting compared to early voting. That’s just not backed by evidence, though.

The truth is, if Democrats truly want to cheat, it’s just as easy to cheat on election day as any other part of the voting period. In fact, I’d argue it’s actually easier to cheat when you have most of your opposition showing up to vote on a single day. Why? For one, it’s far easier to suppress the vote via “technical difficulties.” Secondly, it’s easier to target specific precincts that might deliver the most GOP votes.

But forget arguments over possible fraud and how widespread it is for a moment because that’s really beside the point. Even if everything is on the up and up, machines can still legitimately break. Ballots can legitimately run out. Lines can legitimately be long. Weather can legitimately strike at the worst time. Banking ballots early avoids those pitfalls that can’t be corrected. Once election day is over, it’s over. It doesn’t matter if everyone was snowed in.

The argument for pushing early voting as Republicans is that you statistically harm yourself if you try to get your voters to all show up on a single day. There is nothing to be gained by doing that. As I said above, if Democrats want to cheat, they can cheat just as easily on election day. So why on earth would Republicans want to give up a chance to bank ballots during the early voting period?

It’s also worth noting that most states provide tracking for early voting so you know if your ballot has been counted. That provides time to fix any issues. Florida’s system relies heavily on mail-in ballots and Republicans dominate there. New Hampshire has practically no early voting, and Republicans have struggled mightily in a state they used to do well in. Ultimately, it’s about getting your voters to vote, not getting them to vote a specific way, and the more eggs you place in the election day basket, the more likely you are to come up short.

To summarize, Republicans gain nothing from shunning early voting, and the penchant to refuse to promote is self-destructive. That’s Presler’s argument, and it’s one GOP politicians need to listen to if they have any intention of winning again.