Americans Showing Strong Partisan Preference In Early Voting Trends

People participate in the Democratic presidential primary election in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.

With three weeks remaining until Election Day, a recent public opinion poll conducted by NBC News reveals that Americans are displaying a clear partisan preference in how they choose to cast their votes.

The poll indicates that 5% of registered voters have already participated in the 2024 presidential election. Among these early voters, 3% opted to mail in their ballots, while 2% chose to vote early in person. Additionally, nearly half of the survey respondents who have yet to vote, 47%, expressed their intention to vote early – with 20% planning to vote by mail and 27% preferring to vote in person.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, currently holds a significant lead over her Republican rival, former President Trump, among early voters. Harris leads by 17 percentage points, with a 57% to 40% margin. Her lead is more pronounced among those voting by mail, where she leads 66% to 32%, and slightly narrower among those intending to vote early in person, with a 51% to 47% advantage. On the other hand, Trump maintains a strong lead among voters planning to cast their ballots on Election Day, with a 58% to 37% margin.

47% of respondents plan to vote early, with 20% by mail and 27% in person.

5% of registered voters have already participated in the 2024 election.

Vice President Kamala Harris leads among early voters by 17 percentage points.

The survey also reveals that 52% of voters plan to vote early, while 44% intend to vote on November 5th. Only 3% remain undecided about their voting method, and 1% stated they do not plan to vote. The poll, conducted from October 4th to 8th among 1,000 registered voters, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Currently, 46 states and Washington, D.C. have initiated some form of early voting. Early voting has been a longstanding practice in the U.S., initially catering to groups like military personnel and individuals with health concerns. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 prompted many states to expand early voting eligibility to reduce in-person voting risks.

Despite concerns, elections officials emphasize that early voting is a secure and reliable method. Post-2020 election recounts, investigations, and legal actions did not uncover widespread fraud or corruption, reinforcing the safety of early voting practices.