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The 2024 presidential election is set to make history in one key area as it will mark the first time that the majority of Americans are expected to vote early.
The data indicating the shift was revealed in a Rasmussen Reports survey released on Tuesday.
“The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 58% of Likely U.S. Voters plan to vote early, including 37% who will take advantage of early in-person voting and 21% who will vote by mail. Thirty-nine percent (39%) will wait to vote on Election Day, November 5,” the study found.
The numbers marked a change from the 2022 midterm election that found just 44 percent of likely voters choosing to vote early.
“In October 2022, 44% planned to vote early, while 53% were waiting until Election day,” the report added.
The breakdown by party demographic showed that 55 percent of Republicans plan to vote early, 68 percent of Democrats and 51 percent of independents.
The survey was conducted Sept. 18-19 and 22 among 1,114 likely voters with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The survey was notably taken before Tuesday’s vice presidential debate between Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
The new push for early voting builds upon a spike in the practice in 2020 as COVID-19 impacted the nation.
The latest Rasmussen Reports daily survey showed President Donald Trump leading Vice President Kamala Harris 49 percent to 46 percent, with a 5 percent margin of error.
The tight polling during the final weeks of the election cycle reveals the importance of voter turnout both in early voting and on Election Day in determining the nation’s next president.
Seven swing states have become the focus of both the Trump and Harris campaigns, particularly emphasizing Pennsylvania and Georgia, where the largest number of electoral votes are available among the battleground locations. President Joe Biden won both states in 2020.
Team Trump also announced a bus tour across Georgia starting Friday to build momentum for GOP voters ahead of the election. Stops include Columbus, Bibb County, Athens, Fayetteville, Lawrenceville, Atlanta, Kennesaw, Rome, Woodstock and Gainesville.