WASHINGTON – As Election Day finally arrives in the United States, millions of people have already voted – including a record number of early voters in the United States. Georgia, North Carolina and others Battlefield States it could help decide the winner.

On Monday, The Associated Press tracking of early voting nationwide showed that about 82 million ballots had already been cast. Data from the University of Florida Election Lab showed a similar tally of early votes.

During the 2020 presidential election, in the midst of a pandemic, approximately 101.4 million votes were cast in advance, Election lab data showed. That year, many states enacted emergency measures to temporarily expand mail-in voting options to protect voters from the spread of COVID-19.

FILE – Early voting at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/Clerk Building in Norwalk, Calif., on Nov. 4, 2024. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Early voting turnout in Georgia and North Carolina

In Georgia, where Republican and Democratic candidates flipped in the previous two presidential elections, more than 4 million voters cast ballots early this year. This represents approximately 55% of their active voting population, according to Georgia Election Data Center.

Turnout was so great that a senior official in the secretary of state’s office said the big day could resemble a “ghost town” during the election.

Despite long lines at some locations and some hiccups common to all elections, in-person and mail-in early voting went without major problems, according to the Associated Press.

This included areas of western North Carolina that were impacted by Hurricane Helene. State and local election officials, benefiting from changes made by the Republican-controlled Legislature, went to great lengths to ensure residents could vote as they faced power outages, water shortages and roads washed away by water.

By the end of early voting in North Carolina on Saturday, more than 4.4 million voters — nearly 57% of all registered voters in the state — had cast ballots, according to ASsociated Press, citing the state’s election board. ‘State. On Monday, turnout in the 25 western counties hit by the hurricane was even stronger, with 59% of voters registered, said state election board executive director Karen Brinson Bell.

Brinson Bell called voters and election workers in hurricane-affected counties “an inspiration to all of us.”

Early voters by political party

In 2024, Republican voters cast early ballots at a higher rate than in recent past elections, following the former president’s campaign. Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee to counter Democrats’ long-standing advantage in early voting.

According to the University of Florida Election Lab, about 15.4 million Democrats (37.8%) voted early this year, compared to about 14.7 million Republicans (35.8%) and 10.8 million unregistered voters (26.4%).

This data includes only 26 states in which a party is registered, the Election Lab noted.

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Early voters by age

According to the University of Florida Election Lab, only nine states share voting age data, but that includes the key states of Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Among states that do so, the highest percentage of early voters – 39.4% – were aged 41 to 65.

Around 34.5% of early voters were over 65, 17.5% of early voters were between 26 and 40, and 8.6% of them were in the youngest age group: 18-25 years.

Early voters by gender

Reporting states with gender data include Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, North Carolina and Virginia, according to the University of Florida Election Lab.

According to Election Lab data, about 54% of early voters identify as women, 43.8% as men, and 2.2% of early voters were listed as “unknown.”

Early voters by race and ethnicity

U.S. states providing data on race and Hispanic ethnicity are Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, according to the University of Florida Election Lab.

The highest turnout (65.2%) of early voters were non-Hispanic whites, 22.2% non-Hispanic blacks, 2.7% Hispanics, 1.9% Asian Americans, 0 .5% of Native Americans and an additional 8.5%. “Other/Multiple/Unknown,” according to Election Lab data.

What time does voting open?

For those who chose to wait until Election Day to vote, voting operations vary by state – some opening as early as 6 a.m. local time, and others not until 8 a.m.

Voters should check their state and county websites before heading out.

Here are the swing state opening hours:

• 6:30 a.m. ET – North Carolina
• 7 a.m. ET – Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania
• 8 a.m. ET – Arizona, Wisconsin
• 10 a.m. ET – Nevada

When do polling stations close?

The closing time of polling stations also varies by state. Check your state and county website before you go to vote.

Here are the closing times for swing states:

• 7 p.m. ET – Georgia
• 7:30 p.m. ET – North Carolina
• 8 p.m. ET – Michigan, Pennsylvania
• 9 p.m. ET – Wisconsin, Arizona
• 10 p.m. ET – Nevada