By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
With eight days until Election Day, more than 60 million Americans have already voted by mail and in person for their choice between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden who are revving up their campaigns in the final home stretch.
The record early voting fuels expectations that this year’s presidential election on November 3 could lead to a turnout of 150 million or 65 per cent of registered voters, the highest since 1908, says the United States Elections Project.
In 2016, around 58.3 million pre-election ballots were cast, including ballots in the three vote-by-mail states that year, according to a CNN analysis. That early vote accounted for about 42 per cent of all ballots cast in 2016.
Reuters also recalls data showing that voters have already cast more early votes during this presidential campaign than they did in all of 2016 when they passed the 47 million mark earlier this month.
The 60 million tally is the latest sign of intense interest in the contest between Republican Trump and Democratic Biden, as well as voters’ desire to reduce their risk of exposure to COVID-19, which has killed about 225,000 people across the U.S.
Democrats hold a significant advantage in early voting due to their embrace of mail balloting, which Republicans have historically cast in large numbers but have shunned amid repeated and unfounded attacks by Trump who says the system is prone to widespread fraud.
Overall, Reuters adds, Democrats hold roughly a two-to-one advantage in early voting numbers.
The high level of early voting has led Michael McDonald, the University of Florida professor who administers the U.S. Elections Project, to predict a record turnout of about 150 million, representing 65 per cent of those eligible to vote.
A survey of election officials in all 50 states and Washington, DC by CNN, Edison Research and Catalist shows that pre-Election Day voting is skyrocketing nationwide during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
States are reporting record-breaking turnout as voters are energised to vote by mail or early in person before November 3.
Detailed voter information comes from Catalist, a company that provides data, analytics and other services to Democrats, academics and nonprofit issue-advocacy organisations and is giving insights into who is voting before November.
Fifty-four per cent of those votes already cast this cycle comes from CNN’s 16 most competitively ranked states, which will play a crucial role in determining who wins the presidency this year.
Among those states, Minnesota has currently seen the largest percentage increase in early voting turnout compared to last cycle, according to Catalist data from both years in 14 key states.
By age, younger voters (age 18-29) are also casting significantly more ballots and make up a greater share of the pre-Election Day vote than they did around the same time four years ago in all of the key states with information available.