Early voting is higher in 10 states than it was in 2010, and Republicans and Democrats alike say the numbers show they have the advantage in key Senate and gubernatorial races heading into Tuesday.
In Louisiana, early turnout is 181% higher this year than its 2010 figure, the largest proportional increase of any state. Registered Democrats have a 19-point advantage, compared to 4.4 points in 2010. But Republican Sen. David Vitter still won that year by almost 19 percentage points, and Republicans note Louisiana is another state where many white registered Democrats support the GOP. Polls suggest Sen. Mary Landrieu will need a huge African-American turnout to counter that trend.
Nationally, at least 16.4 million ballots have been cast in 31 states, according to a tally by The Associated Press. The figures include in-person early voting and mail-in ballots that have been returned. Four years ago, 26.9 million out of 89 million overall votes, or about 30%, were cast away from traditional precincts.
Along with Louisiana, the states AP reviewed included North Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Utah and Wisconsin. Read the full story.
Secretary of State Tom Schedler told the Press Club of Baton Rouge last week that he expects overall turnout for the Nov. 4 election to be between 45% and 50%. As of Oct. 24, more voters had cast their ballots early in East Baton Rouge Parish than anywhere else in the state, Schedler said, adding that the greater Baton Rouge area has surpassed New Orleans and surrounding suburbs as the state’s largest voting region.
