According to a recent NBC News poll, Americans are more eager to vote early this year compared to previous elections, with 52% planning to cast their ballots early and 44% planning to vote on Election Day. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, 5% of registered voters have already voted (3% by mail, 2% in person) and 47% plan to vote early (20% by mail, 27% in person). This represents a slight decrease from the 2020 election, when 59% planned to vote early by this time but is higher than the 41% in early November 2016.
There remains a deep partisan divide on early voting, with Vice President Kamala Harris leading among those who vote early or have already voted, while former President Donald Trump leads among those planning to vote on Election Day. This divide is attributed to years of Trump and his Republican allies questioning the legitimacy of early voting.
The poll was conducted from Oct. 4-8 and surveyed 1,000 registered voters, with an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Overall, the data shows increased enthusiasm for early voting among Americans this election cycle, potentially influenced by both the pandemic and ongoing political rhetoric surrounding election integrity.
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