Over two million Americans have already voted in November’s election, according to data collected by the United States Election Project. Of the ballots that have been returned or accepted as of October 17th, 394,562 (42.9% of total) have been Democratic ballots; 353,973 (38.5%) have been Republican; and 154,664 (16.8%) have been Independent ballots.
In the early states for which data is available, Democrats lead Republicans in most instances. 98,428 (50.3%) Democratic ballots have been returned in Iowa, compared to 60,359 (30.8%) Republicans and 36,420 (18.6%) Independents. In Maine, 17,009 (49.7%) Democratic ballots have been returned, compared to 8,270 (24.2%) Republican and 8,030 (23.5%) Independent ballots. In Colorado (where all residents receive a ballot by mail), 2,860 (47.6%) Democratic ballots have been returned, compared to 1,540 (24.2%) Republican and 1,721 (26.5%) Independent ballots.
Florida and North Carolina are the only states where Republicans have a slight lead. In Florida, 265,683 (41.5%) Republican ballots have been returned, compared to 259,883 (40.6%) Democrats and 96,880 (15.1%) Independents. In North Carolina, 18,121 (39.2%) Republican ballots have been returned, compared to 16,382 (35.4%) Democrat and 11,613 (25.1%) Independent ballots.
In 2012, 46,220,922 Americans voted before Election Day. Over the next three weeks, Republicans will need to out-organize Democrats (particularly in key states like Florida, Colorado, North Carolina, Iowa, and Ohio) to go into Election Day with the advantage.
