According to a survey conducted by the Election Laboratory at the University of Florida, over 5 million Americans have already cast their votes ahead of the upcoming election. The majority of these voters have chosen to vote by mail rather than in person.
As of Tuesday, in the 34 states allowing early voting, a total of 5.3 million people have voted early. Out of these, 4.4 million have returned their mail-in ballots, while over 941,000 individuals have opted for early in-person voting.
With only three weeks left until the US presidential election day, the early voting turnout is significant and could potentially impact the overall election results.
In terms of party affiliation among the nearly 2.4 million voters reported by states, approximately 1.3 million identify as Democrats, about 741,000 as Republicans, and around 446,000 as independents or belonging to third-party groups.
The survey reveals that among early voters, 55% are female, 44% are male, and 1% are classified with undisclosed gender.
Notably, older voters in the US have shown a more proactive participation in early voting, while younger voters have shown relatively lower engagement levels.
The report indicates that the majority of early voters are aged 65 and above, accounting for 59% of the total early voters. Voters between 41 and 65 years old represent 28%, those between 26 and 40 make up 9%, and the youngest group of voters aged 18 to 25 constitute only 3.4%.
Regarding ethnicities, the report highlights that the majority of early voters are white at 72%. African Americans account for 11.6%, Hispanics for 1.9%, Asians for 2%, and the rest, including other unlisted ethnicities, biracial individuals, or those of unknown ethnicity, make up 11.7%.
Starting from Tuesday morning, voters in Georgia can officially head to early voting locations. Early voting will continue until November 1, the Friday before the election day on November 5.
This week, a judge in Georgia ruled that county election officials must certify election results by the statutory deadline and cannot refuse to acknowledge the validity of certain votes due to suspicions of errors or fraud.
Robert McBurney, a judge at Fulton County Superior Court, stated that election officials must not refuse certification of election results under any circumstances. While election officials have the authority to inspect the proceedings of an election and review relevant documents, delays of this nature should not be grounds for denying or abandoning certification.
In the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, Biden won by a small margin of 11,779 votes over the then-President Trump.
For this year’s election, the renowned election forecasting institution Cook Political Report has shifted Georgia’s political landscape from “leaning Republican” to “toss-up.”
Simultaneously, early voting has commenced in Utah, a state long evaluated as leaning towards the Republican Party.
Recent polls indicate a resurgence in Trump’s support. Formerly, Biden’s replacement of Harris in the presidential race caused a temporary drop in Trump’s approval ratings.
In a survey conducted by CBS/YouGov from October 8 to 11, potential voters favored Harris with 51% over Trump’s 48%. Although Harris holds a 3-point lead, it represents a slight decrease from previous data, with a margin of error of 2.3%.
A survey by ABC News/Ipsos showed Harris leading Trump by 2 percentage points among potential voters and by 2 percentage points among registered voters. This survey was conducted from October 4 to 8, within a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
NBC’s poll from October 4 to 8 showed an equal split of 48% support for both Trump and Harris among registered voters, indicating a tied situation. Compared to the previous month, Harris experienced a 1% drop in support while Trump gained 4%.
When the polling expands to include all candidates in this election, the data indicates Trump leading with 47% support compared to Harris’ 46%.