Early Voting: 35 Days Until Election Day
Less than half as many mail ballots have been returned this year compared to the same point in the 2020 elections, while in-person early voting is on par with this time four years ago.
In-person ballots have increased in areas that voted Republican or were competitive in 2020, perhaps driven by recent state and national efforts by Republicans to encourage early voting. But localities that voted Democratic in 2020 have seen less in-person voting this year. The decline in mail ballots is present across localities regardless of past partisanship.
Early Ballots Returned
35 days before election day
Change in Early Ballots Returned by Locality Partisanship
2020 vs 2024: 35 days before election day. Locality partisanship from the 2020 presidential election
Notes: Early ballots returned as of 35 days before the election (10/1/2024 and 9/29/2020). Partisanship based on the partisan performance of each locality in the 2020 US Presidential election. Definitions of partisanship below:
- Strong D: Localities that voted +20 percentage points Democratic or more
- Lean D: Localities that voted between +5 and +20 percentage points Democratic
- Competitive: Localities that voted between +5 percentage points Democratic and +5 percentage points Republican
- Lean R: Localities that voted between +5 and +20 percentage points Republican
- Strong R: Localities that voted +20 percentage points Republican or more
Source: Virginia Dept. of Elections, Daily Absentee List. VPAP Analysis.