Early voting is down significantly compared to 2020 — and the data hold bad news for Democrats

SUMMARY

Early voting for the 2024 election is significantly down compared to 2020, with 4.2 million ballots cast thus far, a 45% decrease from this point in 2020. The drop is particularly steep in mail-in voting, with requests down by 58% nationwide, and more dramatically in key swing states like Georgia (down 84%) and North Carolina (down 75%). This decline is troubling for Democrats, as they traditionally rely on mail-in voting. Meanwhile, Republicans seem to be performing better in early in-person voting, especially in rural, predominantly white areas of Virginia, where early turnout is up from 2020. This trend suggests that despite early voting being down overall, Republicans may have improved their early voting strategy, posing challenges for Democrats. The race remains wide open, with most voters still holding off on casting their ballots.