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More than a million people in Virginia and Maryland have already cast their votes for president, with nearly three weeks to go until Election Day.
The latest figures show that more than 800,000 people in Virginia have either voted early in-person or by mail-in ballot. Virginia began early voting on Sept. 20.
In Maryland, more than 270,000 have voted early through the mail. Early in-person voting begins in Maryland on Oct. 24.
- Virginia voter guide: What to know about voting in the historic 2024 election
- Maryland voter guide: What you need to know about this historic 2024 election
Former President Donald Trump has been highly critical of mail-in voting, suggesting it is vulnerable to fraud. But he has pulled back on his criticism, as the Republican National Committee has actively promoted early and mail-in voting.
Republican strategists have, for years, called on Trump to stop denigrating mail-in voting, worried that it could undermine his overall support in the General Election.
Their efforts, along with those of the RNC, appear to be paying off.
Democrats have generally been more likely to vote early or through the mail than Republicans, in part because of Trump’s call for people to vote in-person on Election Day.
But an analysis by NBC News suggests that Virginian Republicans appear to be voting earlier and by mail more than they did in the 2020 presidential election.
Overall, it’s clear that early voting is becoming more popular, especially in the wake of the pandemic.
According to NBC, more than 300,000 voters cast a ballot on Tuesday in Georgia, the first day for early voting in the battleground state. That’s more than double the state’s record for the first day of early voting.
Voting for this election actually began more than a month ago. More than a dozen states have early and in-person voting underway.
Early vote centers open on Oct. 28 in the District of Columbia.
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