“We can be certain this will be a high-turnout election,” Michael McDonald, a University of Florida political scientist who tracks voting via the US Elections Project, told the Associated Press.
According to the project’s website, approximately 22,458,086 ballots have been cast so far in states such as California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and South Dakota.
Democrats are currently showing up in stronger numbers, outvoting Republicans 2-1. However, some experts believe this disparity will soon even out.
“The Republican numbers are going to pick up,” John Couvillon, a GOP pollster tracking early voting, asserted to AP. “The question is at what velocity, and when?”
As of this article’s publication, voters have nationally cast 16% of the total ballots submitted in the 2016 general election, according to the US Elections Project.
Reports of voter suppression have been reignited in states such as Georgia, which began early voting on October 12.
"Georgia voters are excited and setting records every hour - and this is all during a pandemic, lest we forget ... we will have a successful election, keeping all of our voting options accessible in all parts of Georgia, regardless of zip code," said Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Wednesday, as reported by ABC News.
"Some precincts are more favored than others by voters, and they just have longer lines ... [but] everyone will have the opportunity to vote."
Social media has been flooded with images and videos of voters across the country standing in massive lines with hourslong wait times.
This is a picture of voter suppression. Why do Americans have to wait in lines this long? This is the line in Suwannee Georgia today to vote. pic.twitter.com/rHl4Gr5kEi
— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) October 12, 2020
Night has fallen, but voting lines continue in Marietta, Georgia. The @WCKitchen team just finished serving dinner. They met someone walking out who arrived at 8am — he waited 12 hours to vote today. We must do better! Until then, #ChefsForThePolls will try to keep everyone fed. pic.twitter.com/RcnG8BFSWW
— Nate Mook (@natemook) October 13, 2020
Good morning! Early in person voting began in Kentucky this morning. Here in Kenton County, the first person was in line at 3 a.m. @Enquirer pic.twitter.com/331MpmGhXd
— Julia Fair (@JFair_reports) October 13, 2020
Early voting line in Baton Rouge,La pic.twitter.com/uz2jZKf4JS
— Dexter Nicholas (@d_nichs) October 16, 2020
Early voting line at City Hall in New Orleans at 8:00 am pic.twitter.com/wtwfnrjpgH
— Al Sunseri (@AlSunseri) October 16, 2020
A fact sheet released by the National Association of Letter Carriers estimates that while 139 million Americans participated in the 2016 general election, the number of ballots cast in the upcoming 2020 election “could surpass 150 million voters.”
A total of 150 million ballots would amount to around 65% of the US population casting votes.
