With the 2024 presidential election fast approaching, early voting is up and running for many. All but three U.S. states (47 in total) and the District of Columbia offer early voting options. In swing states especially, early voting, either through in-person or mail-in ballots, has been a priority for both parties.
More than 2.1 million voters have cast early votes in the key state of Georgia, which flipped blue in 2020 and helped President Joe Biden beat the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump. Despite the devastation of Hurricane Helene, key swing state North Carolina set a new record for first day voting, marking over 350,000 votes, as did South Carolina, which saw more than 125,000 votes cast.
In 2024, more Democrats than Republicans have voted early. However, the percentage of Republicans is higher than in 2020, perhaps a result of leaders in the Republican party focusing more on the practice than in previous elections.
Trump discouraged voters from utilizing mail-in voting and early voting in 2020. In fact, his attacks on mail-in voting and false allegations of widespread voter fraud capitalized on fear and uncertainty about holding a presidential election in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, he has flipped the script during this election. Though he still said this year that he had “mixed feelings” about early voting, the Trump campaign has spent September and October pushing for early and mail-in ballots from Republicans. In fact, Trump said on Fox News Radio on Oct. 23 that he plans to vote early himself.
Biden’s win in 2020 was supported by much higher rates of early voting and mail-in voting than Republican voters. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has also been encouraging supporters to vote early in this election.
Read More: Harris Urges Detroit to ‘Break Some Records’ as Early Vote Begins in Critical Michigan
On Oct.19 in Detroit, as early voting began in the city, Harris hosted a rally with musician Lizzo, and encouraged voters to “break records,” emphasizing that early votes are the best way to block Trump’s return to the Oval Office.
Rachael Cobb, associate professor of political science and legal studies at Suffolk University in Boston, Mass., tells TIME that these early voting numbers are undoubtedly higher than in previous years, but it’s “hard” to compare to the 2020 general election, when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing.
“More states have enabled early voting in recent years, and it’s not a new reform but it’s taken hold more so since 2010,” Cobb says. “And, we’ve only had a handful of presidential elections since then.”
Still, Cobb points out that there are real advantages to early voting practices.
For campaigns, they get more and more voters out to the polls, and have more data on which population’s vote they must focus on whilst leading up to election day.
For voters, in-person early voting allows for additional support from poll workers, especially for those that may need translations or extra help.
“For voters, they can see that everything is handled with their own eyes,” Cobb says. She also emphasizes how convenient early voting is, often allowing people to vote at centers close to their work or home, without too much impact to their busy schedules.
How many votes have been cast so far in the 2024 presidential election?
According to the University of Florida’s Election Lab, which tracks early votes, over 28 million votes have been cast thus far. 28,867,246, to be exact.
