Early voting for the U.S. presidential election kicked off on Friday, allowing voters in three states to cast their ballots either in person at early polling stations or by mail ahead of the November 5 election date.
Polling centers in Virginia became the first to open for early voting, giving voters the option to vote before Election Day. According to ABC News, these centers will remain open until November 2.
While voters in Virginia stand in line at early voting centers, residents of Minnesota and South Dakota also have the opportunity to either vote in person or submit their ballots by mail.
Data from Virginia’s election office revealed that over 1.76 million voters cast their ballots early in the 2020 presidential election, accounting for nearly 40% of total votes. In Minnesota, approximately 57% of ballots were submitted before Election Day in 2020, and around 83,000 South Dakota voters mailed in their votes during the last election cycle.
Early voting has become increasingly popular in the U.S. In the 2020 election, more than 69% of voters cast their ballots either by mail or through early in-person voting. This marks a significant increase from 40% in 2016 and 33% in 2012, according to election data from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Early voting is expected to continue gaining momentum as voters look for convenient and safe ways to participate in the democratic process.
