This is it: We have entered voting season. More than three weeks remain until Election Day, but as of Sunday evening about 654,407 people had cast their votes nationwide and millions more had requested absentee ballots. The two states that have seen the most action for now are Iowa and Florida, which are arguably hosting the country’s hottest senatorial and gubernatorial race. And things will pick-up very quickly: States like Colorado and Oregon that have implemented an all-mail voting system are preparing to send out ballots to all voters, and in-person voting will soon get underway in other crucial 2014 states like Georgia.
It’s important not to read too much into the early voting statistics: It can be hard to gauge whether these are voters who would have voted anyway or whether a party has managed to expand the voting universe and an early edge for a party can quickly dissipate. More importantly, the numbers by themselves may be misleading absent an awareness of historical precedents or organizational factors. As long as we proceed cautiously though, these numbers can be very instructive (and fun). In fact, some fascinating state-specific trends have emerged, so let’s look at them one by one after the fold.
If we turn out, we win. Chip in $3 to help Get Out The Vote for Daily Kos’ endorsed candidates.
Voting by mail is convenient, easy, and defeats the best of the GOP’s voter suppression efforts. Sign up here to check eligibility and vote by mail, then get your friends, family, and coworkers to sign up as well.
If you can vote early, do it! And then focus on getting friends and family to do the same! Now follow me below the fold for more on state-specific trends in early voting.
