With former President Donald Trump’s encouragement, Republicans are voting early once again, heading to the polls for in-person voting ahead of Election Day and contributing to a national total of nearly 19 million early ballots.
The early turnout is setting records in swing states like Georgia and North Carolina, the Associated Press reported on Monday
The GOP hopes this surge in early voting will address a mechanical issue that some within the party attribute to losses in the 2020 presidential election and key races in 2022. Campaigns typically prefer their supporters to vote early so they can concentrate resources on mobilizing more marginal voters right before Election Day.
“I am telling everyone to vote early,” Trump said on a podcast last week hosted by conservative and former Secret Service Agent Dan Bongino.
Republicans appear to be responding positively. In Nevada, where Democrats have historically relied on a strong early voting turnout to counter the GOP on Election Day, approximately 6,000 more Republicans than Democrats had cast early ballots as of Tuesday, according to research by the Associated Press.
However, it’s unclear what this means for the election. Early voting data only indicates voters’ party registration, not their actual voting intentions, and the early electorate can fluctuate daily as more people vote, the AP added.
The surge in early voting among Democrats in 2020 was largely a reaction to the pandemic, which is no longer a factor, complicating historical comparisons. Additionally, what might seem like demographic trends in early voting can quickly change once Election Day votes are included.
