10/31/2024October 31, 2024
Early voting — more than 60 million votes already cast
US voters seem to have wholeheartedly embraced early voting, that is according to data compiled by the University of Florida’s Election Lab.
Michael McDonald, a political science professor running the project, said data compiled by his six labs in Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, North Carolina and Virginia tabulated that more than 62 million US citizens had already cast their votes in 2024 — nearly 40% of all votes in 2020.
Similar percentages have been reported in several swing states, including North Carolina and in what so far remains a dead heat in the .
Observers suggest strong voter sentiment and changes to early voting rules since 2020 have driven the trend.
“Voters are engaged on both sides of the aisle,” said Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger Thursday on CNN. “What we just want to do is make sure we have a fair, honest, and accurate process, and that’s what we do.”
Speaking of early voters, Michael McDonald says, “Every one of these early voters is somebody that they [the parties] scratch off their lists, and every voter they scratch off their lists, they don’t have to contact that person anymore.” This allows them to further tailor the allocation of time and money down to the wire.
Observers are clear to note that early voting data, including gender turnout — roughly 55% of women have already voted compared to 45% of men, for instance — is only suggestive and very difficult to interpret.
The post US election: Over 60 million voters cast their ballots early appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
