With less than two months until Election Day, voting for the 2024 presidential election is officially underway, as early voting has begun in three states.
Early in-person voting kicked off in Virginia on Sept. 20, making it the first state to offer voters this option so early, ABC News reports.
If 2020 indicates what to expect, it could be a large turnout. Data from the Virginia Department of Elections shows that more than 1 million votes were cast in person during early voting, accounting for 40% of Virginia’s vote last presidential election cycle.
People in Virginia can cast their in-person early ballots by Saturday, Nov. 2.
Meanwhile, Minnesota and South Dakota also kicked off early voting. Voters can turn in their absentee ballots in person to an election office or other designated location versus mailing them.
Early voters in Minnesota rival those in Virginia. The Office of the Secretary of State says more than 1.9 million voters cast an absentee ballot last presidential election cycle, and more than half of the ballots were reportedly cast before Election Day.
While these three states are the earliest to vote, a dozen more states will follow by mid-October.
The latest polls show a deadlocked race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. A new set of polls from The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Siena College found that Harris and Trump are tied at 47% nationally. However, Harris has an edge in the key state of Pennsylvania, 50% to 46%.
The latest survey from NAACP, in partnership with
Hart Research and HIT Strategies, examined the attitudes and issue priorities of millions of Black voters. The survey found that over half of Black voters say the highest priority for our elected leaders should be “protecting our rights and freedoms.”