- Opinion polls show a close competition between Democrats and Republicans.
- Harris’ campaign encouraged early voting.
- Tim Walz, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama have cast ballots.
WASHINGTON: More than 62 million US voters have already cast ballots in the 2024 election, breaking records in some states and leading both sides to hope it will give them an advantage – even as experts warn the data is difficult to interpret.
Polls show Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump competing closely, including in the seven states likely to decide the national vote.
Harris’ campaign has encouraged early voting, with her running mate, Tim Walz, outgoing President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama already casting ballots.
Trump had previously questioned – without evidence – the integrity of early voting, but has since embraced it, encouraging his supporters to cast ballots when it suits them.
As of Thursday, at least 62.7 million people had cast ballots early, representing about 40% of the total number of votes cast in 2020.
In Georgia, for example, more than 3.5 million people cast ballots, or 45% of registered voters – a record number, according to Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
He added that he expects up to 70% of Georgians to vote early in these elections.
The situation is similar in many other swing states.
Brad Hines, a 73-year-old police officer, lined up to cast his ballot in person on the first day of early voting in Wisconsin.
“I wanted to go in and cast my vote and then tell everyone that they should do the same,” he said, adding that it was an “important election” for a “democratic” country.