As millions of Americans prepare to head to the polls tomorrow (November 3), a record number of voters have already cast their ballots. Many states increased their early voting options and made it easier for people to vote by mail due to the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 90 million ballots have already been cast, with sixteen states reporting that more than half of registered voters have already voted. According to a tally by CNN, that equals about 43% of registered voters across the country and represents 67% of the 136.5 million ballots cast in the 2016 presidential election.
Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada, which are key battleground states, have all reported more than 80 percent of the turnout from 2016. In Texas and Hawaii, the number of early voters surpassed the total number of votes cast in 2016.
NBC News reports that 60% of early voters mailed in their ballots, while 40% waited in long, socially distanced lines to cast their vote. The tally found that Democrats hold a slight lead in votes with 43%, while Republicans account for 38% of early voters. Third-party voters and those who have no party affiliation accounted for 19% of the early vote total.
Early voting could complicate matters as the votes are counted tomorrow night when the polls close. Rules vary by state, with some requiring ballots to be received by election day, while others require them to be postmarked by November 3. It is unlikely that there will be a clear winner on election night, and it is possible that the results will be contested by the Trump or Biden campaigns.
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