As the November 5 presidential election approaches, over 40 million people have already cast their early ballots nationwide.
According to data from the University of Florida’s Election Lab, as of Sunday, 41.2 million voters have participated in early voting, either by mail or in person, in most states. Some states have not yet reported their data.
Comparing this year’s early voting trends with those of four years ago, Republicans are leading in mail-in ballots, while Democrats are ahead in early in-person voting. However, party affiliation does not necessarily indicate which candidate voters have chosen.
States that have reported party data show a 3.8 percent lead for registered Democrats over Republicans, with independents and minor party voters making up the rest. In-person early voting shows a 9-point advantage for Republicans, while Democrats have an 11-point lead in mail-in ballots.
Republicans also hold a slight lead in early in-person voting, with 40.2 percent compared to Democrats’ 37.5 percent.
Key Swing-State Data
In Nevada, Republicans currently hold a 5.1 percent lead in early voting over Democrats. Arizona, which only reports mail-in ballots, shows a 6.9 percent advantage for Republicans. In North Carolina, Republicans have pulled ahead by 1.1 percent. Pennsylvania, reporting only mail-in ballots, shows Democrats leading by over 330,000 votes.
States like Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin do not provide party affiliation data through the Election Lab website.
Reuters contributed to this report.
