More than half of US voters will likely cast their ballots early, poll finds
FILE - People line up for early voting outside of the Pulaski County Regional Building on Nov. 3, 2014 in Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
While the number of Americans who plan to vote early this year is less than in 2020, the rate is still higher than in election years before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Gallup poll.
More than half of registered voters (54%) have already sent in their ballots or plan to vote early this election.
What did voters say?
Gallup conducted its poll between Oct. 14 and Oct. 27, asking voters when they planned to cast their ballots and how.
Twenty percent of registered voters said they had already voted and another 34% said they planned to vote before Election Day.
Forty-two percent said they planned to physically vote at the polls on Nov. 5.
In 2020, when asked the same questions, 36% of voters said they had done so early, 28% planned on voting earlier and 32% said they were voting on Election Day.
Democrats more likely to vote early
Gallup’s poll also showed that Democrats continue to be significantly more likely to vote early than Republicans.
Sixty-three percent of registered voters who identify themselves as Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents have already voted or plan to vote early.
For voters who were Republicans or Republican-leaning, 47% said they would be casting their ballots early.
More in-person voting
Participants in the poll also shared that, regardless of when they planned to vote, more than half (67%) planned to vote in person this year, which is up compared to 2020 (60%).
Voter enthusiasm is up
Voters are also more enthusiastic about casting their ballots this month compared to earlier this year.
When split along party lines, Democrats appeared more enthusiastic compared to Republicans at 77% and 67% respectively.
The increase in enthusiasm among Democrats was largely a result of Vice President Kamala Harris replacing President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate, Gallup said.