Americans commenced casting their first in-person votes on Friday for a presidential election set to take place in six weeks, a contest described by leaders from both the Republican and Democratic parties as one of the most significant in generations.
The stakes are high: Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and other party leaders have labeled Republican nominee Donald Trump as a threat to democracy, while Trump contends that his victory is essential to rescue the country from Democratic rule.
The start of in-person voting marks a six-week countdown to Election Day on November 5, signaling the nearing conclusion of a deeply polarized campaign. Over the last two months, Harris has replaced President Joe Biden as the Democrats’ nominee, while Trump has narrowly survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, with a second suspected incident reported at his Florida golf club.
Several states, including Virginia, Minnesota, and South Dakota, are offering early in-person voting options, with more states expected to join by mid-October. Despite previously expressing skepticism towards early voting, Trump’s Republican National Committee has endorsed the practice this year, viewing it as a strategic advantage to secure votes ahead of Election Day, especially considering that weather could impact turnout.
Historically, Democrats have benefited from early voting, accumulating millions of votes in past elections. In 2018, they accounted for 41% of early votes in the 24 states providing partisan data, compared to 35.1% for Republicans, according to the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida. This gap widened in 2022, with Democrats representing 42.5% of early votes and Republicans 33.8%.
Early voting sites officially opened across Virginia, Minnesota, and South Dakota on Friday, launching the 2024 election season. Footage shared by MSNBC showed enthusiastic voters lining up in Virginia to cast their ballots. Virginia’s early voting locations will remain open until November 2. In Minnesota and South Dakota, voters can also hand-deliver absentee ballots to designated locations instead of mailing them.
Prior to Friday’s in-person voting, Alabama became the first state to send out mail-in ballots on September 11, one of ten states that mail ballots to voters more than 45 days before Election Day. By law, military and overseas ballots must be sent 45 days in advance, with this year’s deadline on September 21.
Voter registration deadlines vary by state. With early voting gaining popularity over the past decade, experts anticipate a high turnout among early voters this election cycle. During the 2020 election, over 69% of votes were cast via mail-in or early in-person voting, a significant increase from 40% in 2016 and 33% in 2012.
