Early voting has begun in several states across the country with less than three weeks until Election Day, and Democrats are making progress when it comes to casting ballots early in the 2024 election.
According to TargetSmart tracking, more than eight million people have already voted early in person or by absentee ballot.
That includes more than 4.5 million Democrats who have cast their ballots, more than a million more than the 3.1 million Republicans who have cast their ballots early, according to the model. Another 740,000 early voters are not with either party.
It also breaks down to more than 4.4 million women who have already voted, compared to more than 3.7 million men nationally.
The data comes as Democrats have been more likely to vote early or by mail in the past, as former President Donald Trump criticized in the past.
But GOP officials have been pushing GOP voters to vote any way they can, including taking advantage of early voting options.
A voter voting in North Carolina on October 18. More than eight million people have already cast their ballots in the 2024 election, either absentee or through early in-person voting.
Democrats are currently outperforming Republicans when it comes to early and absentee voting in the seven key battleground states that will likely decide the election.
More than 2.6 million votes have been cast in the swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Of those, more than 1.4 million were elected by Democrats, while just over 964,000 were elected by Republicans. Another 253,000 unaffiliated voters also voted in the battleground states.
However, when it comes to the breakdown of party affiliation of those who voted through Friday by state, the results are very mixed.
Republicans currently lead in early and absentee voting in Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, the model shows.
But Democrats are ahead in Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Democrats have made progress when it comes to early voting nationally as well as in battleground states, but the breakdown by state is mixed according to early data.
In Arizona, data shows that Republicans have cast 87,000 votes as of Friday, while Democrats have cast 67,000 votes. Another 6,900 unaffiliated voters also voted. The split between identifiable male and female voters was nearly split.
In Georgia, where early in-person voting broke records when it began this week, more than 292,000 Republicans have cast their ballots, while 283,000 Democrats have done so. Some 28,000 unaffiliated voters have also already voted.
The number of women voting early in Georgia surpassed the number of men by more than 25,000 as of Friday.
Meanwhile, early in-person voting in Michigan begins next week, but about 855,000 people have already submitted their ballots. Democrats issued 467,000 of them, while Republicans have 305,000, tracking shows.
In Nevada, early in-person voting begins Saturday, October 19, but the state began mailing out ballots earlier this week. So far more than 8,400 people have voted. The breakdown includes more than 5,700 GOP votes and 2,300 Democratic votes.
In North Carolina, the first day of in-person early voting broke records with more than 350,000 people voting on Thursday.
In North Carolina, mail-in voting has been going on for weeks, but early in-person voting is also officially underway.
The state broke records with more than 350,000 people voting on the first day of in-person early voting on Thursday.
According to data provided by the state, more than 428,000 people have cast their votes in the state. That includes more than 156,000 Democrats, 142,000 Republicans and more than 127,000 unaffiliated voters who make up the largest percentage of registered voters in the state.
At the same time, more than 669,000 people have voted in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania. And when it comes to early voting, Democrats have also made progress.
More than 461,000 of the votes already cast in Pennsylvania were for Democrats, while Republicans cast only 193,000 votes.
Women in the state are also leading the way: More than 55 percent of votes cast in the Keystone State have been cast by women so far, while only 43 percent were cast by men, according to the model.
In Wisconsin, early in-person voting begins Oct. 22, but at least 281,000 people have already been able to vote.
The Democrats outnumber the Republicans, who have already voted two to one with 112,000 votes from the Democrats and only 53,000 from the Republicans.
However, the vast majority of ballots submitted in Wisconsin, more than 115,000, came from voters in the state who are not identified as Democrats or Republicans.
