Historic voter turnout? We’re — almost — halfway there.
More than 76 million Americans have cast their vote already in the 2024 general election, equivalent to 49% of the total vote in 2020. And as the early vote count climbs, here are two charts and a map to help make sense of the numbers.
Unlike four years ago, when mail-in ballots accounted for almost two-thirds of the early vote because of the pandemic, there has been an almost even split this year between mail-in and early in-person voting, with in-person ballots accounting for 55% of all early votes as of Monday morning.
The pandemic-era 2020 election had the highest ever early vote totals, at more than 101 million, or 63% of all votes cast. But beside 2020, the share of early votes has remained steady since 2012, even as early vote totals have increased. In 2012 and 2016, early votes were about 36% of all votes.
This comes as more states offer more options for people to cast their ballot: In 2000, fewer than half the states offered early voting, and as of 2024, only three states — Alabama, Mississippi and New Hampshire — don’t offer in-person early voting.
Though many states have made it easier to vote early, many have also created new identification qualifications for in-person voting.
One way to see how prevalent voting early is in a particular state is to compare its latest early vote count with how many people voted there in the 2020 presidential election.
It’s important to not misread early vote numbers or read too much into who has voted thus far. There is still time for the numbers to shift. And then, of course, there’s Election Day on Tuesday.
