A week ahead of the Nov. 5 Election Day, early voting is in full swing across 45 states, with Republican voter turnout surpassing that of previous cycles.
As of Oct. 28 at 9 p.m. EDT, nearly 47.5 million Americans have already participated in the 2024 election, with approximately 24.24 million voting in person and over 23.38 million by mail, based on data from the University of Florida Election Lab. This total represents almost a third of the 158.4 million Americans who cast ballots in 2020.
With early voting now underway in Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Michigan—where in-person voting is available for the first time—voters in 45 states have the option to vote before Nov. 5. Oklahoma and Kentucky begin their early voting periods on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31, respectively, while Louisiana, Maine, Tennessee, and Maryland conclude theirs on Oct. 29 and Oct. 31. Three states—Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire—do not allow in-person early voting.
This election season sees Republicans participating in early voting at rates higher than in previous years, particularly in person, while Democrats lead in mail-in voting, though not to the extent observed in 2020. The Election Lab reports that of the 26 states where voters register by party affiliation, only 14 show more early votes cast by registered Democrats than Republicans as of Oct. 28.
In 2020, 60 percent of Democrats and 32 percent of Republicans voted by mail, according to M.I.T. Election Data and Science Lab. However, early indications suggest the gap may narrow in 2024, as Republican voters respond to their leaders’ encouragement to vote early, both by mail and in person.
In critical battleground states, the trend is especially pronounced as these states may determine the outcome of the election between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris on Nov. 5. For instance, in Arizona, early voting started on Oct. 8, and by Oct. 27, over 1.4 million ballots had been cast, with Republicans submitting 588,782 and Democrats 485,784. Georgia, another key state, recorded 328,000 voters on the first day of early voting on Oct. 15, with 3 million ballots already submitted by Oct. 28.
In North Carolina, more than 2.82 million, or 36 percent of the registered voters, had voted by Oct. 27. Republicans account for approximately 961,706 of these votes, narrowly outpacing Democrats. In Pennsylvania, registered Democrats have returned 823,421 of the 1.414 million mail-in ballots received, with Republicans accounting for around 444,000 of the early votes.
In Wisconsin, early voting began on Oct. 22, with nearly 860,000 voters participating by Oct. 28, and in Nevada, where all voters are mailed ballots, Republicans are leading early in-person turnout. As of Oct. 28, 49.7 percent of in-person early voters in Nevada were Republican, compared to 27.3 percent Democrat.
The evolving trend of higher early voting rates among Republicans could play a pivotal role as Election Day nears.
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