More than 93 million people have already voted in the 2020 election just two days before Election Day, shattering early voting records. Those who have voted so far represent at least 67% of the total 2016 turnout, according to the U.S. Elections Project.
While early voting numbers are hitting record levels, there are still tens of millions of mail ballots that have yet to be returned. The Elections Project analysis found 32 million outstanding mail ballots as of Sunday. Some states allow them to be postmarked on Election Day, but arrive several days later.
With more record numbers of votes already cast, President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden are out of time to reshape the race. Instead, they’re focusing on their base and making sure that any potential supporters have either already voted or plan to do so in-person on Tuesday.
As of Friday evening, 86,394,707 Americans had voted. About two-thirds of that is by mail-in or absentee ballots. That includes five states which already utilized mail-in voting exclusively before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
In Texas, the early vote surpassed that state's total turnout for the 2016 election. Normally a reliably red state, Texas is seen as being in play this year in the race for the White House between Republican Trump and the Democrat former Vice President Biden. The 9 million Texans who have voted make up more than half of all registered voters in the state. The vast majority of those votes have been in-person. Friday was the last day for Texans to vote early.
Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington state have all reported that at least 80% of the 2016 vote total has been turned in.
Hawaii was the first state to pass its 2016 vote total. It was standing at 110% Sunday, according to the Elections Project.
