An increasing number of Americans are experiencing election day ahead of schedule.
Although polling day is officially designated for November 5, numerous states have already commenced early voting, with tens of millions of citizens anticipated to submit their ballots prior to that date.
In-person voting initiated on Friday in three states: Minnesota, South Dakota, and Virginia. A few other states, including Alabama and Wisconsin, have begun sending absentee ballots to voters who have requested them, with additional states expected to follow in the upcoming weeks.
“Happy voting season!” proclaimed a Democratic party activist outside a government building in Arlington, Virginia, on Friday, where several hundred voters queued before the polls opened at 8 a.m. to be among the first in the nation to cast their votes for the presidential election.
“We aim to secure victory in October, not on November 5,” stated Rose Fabia, a 65-year-old Democratic volunteer adorned with an “I VOTED” sticker on her lapel.
“It is a psychological advantage, demonstrating to the opposition that we possess the numbers.”
Approximately 20 miles, or 32 kilometers, away, outside a polling station in Fairfax, Virginia, Mary Lyn Field-Nguer, 76, was also distributing literature for the Democrats after casting her vote for Kamala Harris.
“I was eager to be the first in line,” Field-Nguer remarked. “Anything could occur, and if something prevented me from voting, I would never forgive myself.”
Voters have historically had the option to request absentee ballots prior to elections in the United States. However, the phenomenon of early voting—whether conducted in person or via mail—saw a significant surge during the Covid-19 pandemic four years ago. In 2020, a record-breaking more than 100 million Americans participated in early voting before election day.
While it is uncertain if this election cycle will witness a new record for early voting, indications suggest that the practice continues to be favored in numerous regions across the nation.
Data from the US Census Bureau reveals that nearly half of those who voted in the 2022 midterm elections did so before election day, a trend that experts anticipate will persist this year.
On Friday morning in Arlington, a line of voters had already extended to the second floor of the government building within the first hour of polling.
Gretchen Reinemeyer, who has served as the general registrar and director of elections for Arlington County since 2019, noted that the precinct could “easily be on track” to replicate the number of early votes recorded on the first day of voting in 2020, when approximately 1,400 individuals cast their ballots.
“Any unexpected developments in October are likely to have diminished impact due to the substantial number of early votes already cast,” remarked J Miles Coleman, a non-partisan analyst at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
Arlington, located just outside Washington, D.C., is predominantly Democratic, having supported Joe Biden with an 81-17 margin over Donald Trump in 2020. Biden also secured a 10-point victory statewide in Virginia.
A small yet significant portion of the electorate shifted to the right in the subsequent year during an off-year gubernatorial election, favoring the more moderate Republican Glenn Youngkin. On Friday morning, several Republican volunteers were present outside the polling station, encouraging voters to support Trump over Harris.
The Financial Times poll tracker indicates that Harris holds a lead of over seven points against Trump in Virginia; however, some recent polls suggest that the race may be more competitive than anticipated.
GOP volunteers in Arlington were also promoting early voting.
“You never know what will transpire on election day,” remarked Matthew Hurtt, chair of the Arlington Republicans, who noted that “from a campaign perspective,” early voting enables organizers to better direct their efforts leading up to polling day.
While individual votes remain confidential, records are updated in near real-time to reflect the number of ballots cast and those who have already voted. This information allows campaigns and political parties to cease outreach to individuals who have voted and concentrate their resources on those who have not.
“It removes you from the list for receiving mailers and other campaign materials, thereby saving the campaign money and reducing clutter in your mailbox,” Hurtt added.
Nonetheless, early voting has become a contentious topic among Republicans, who have generally preferred in-person voting on election day over early voting in recent election cycles.
Trump has instilled skepticism regarding the electoral process and continues to assert, without substantiation, that the 2020 election was “rigged” and “stolen” from him. The former president has consistently alleged that mail-in voting is a significant avenue for fraud, and earlier this month, he pledged that if he were to regain the presidency, he would pursue legal action against anyone who “cheats” in the upcoming election.
In Fairfax, Katie Gorka, chair of the Fairfax County Republican Committee and a former official in the Trump administration, expressed doubt about the necessity of early voting now that the pandemic has concluded.
“However, as long as these are the established rules, we encourage Republicans to adhere to them so that we can secure a victory,” she remarked.
Bart Marcois, a 60-year-old consultant who voted for Trump in Fairfax, stated, “The entire Republican party is promoting early voting because Democrats tend to vote early. We show up on election day and celebrate a large turnout, but their votes are already counted.”
He further commented, “They are harvesting ballots and submitting them,” seemingly alluding to Trump’s unfounded allegations regarding illegal ballots submitted by Democrats. “Every Republican is concerned about fraud.”
Conversely, some Republican voters expressed a more positive outlook.
“Voting is one of the most significant rights our Founding Fathers bestowed upon this nation,” remarked Mariam Bell, a 69-year-old retiree holding a “Women for Trump” sign in Fairfax.
This issue transcends the divide between Republicans and Democrats; it fundamentally concerns the elite versus the everyday American, she remarked. “Trump recognizes this dynamic and has shifted the prevailing paradigm.”