Monday, November 3, 2008

Early voting results

I'm not sure of its accuracy, but here's a project at GMU that has tabulated the early voting numbers in various states. These are clearly good numbers for Obama, which complement the polls of early voters that generally show a 60/40 split for Obama.

A couple of numbers from swing states jump out at me. In Colorado, early voting reached almost 70% of the total 2004 vote, and Democrats outnumbered Republicans even though the early vote was mostly absentee (which is traditionally Republican). In my state of Florida, 54% have voted early, and Democrats have gained 11% in turnout over Republicans from 2004. In Georgia, early voting has tripled over 2004, led by a bigAfrican-American turnout. Similar numbers in North Carolina, Ohio, Nevada, and West Virginia: Higher turnout, more Democrats, and more African-Americans.

But it's still not time to celebrate. More early voting does not necessarily lead to a higher overall turnout. And some national and state polls are tightening a bit. And we still have the possibility of a Bradley effect or successful vote suppression efforts. So we'll find out, hopefully, tomorrow night.

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