The American tradition of pouring into schools and fire halls to vote on Election Day is sunsetting as a majority of people plan to vote early for the first time in history.
In the latest Rasmussen Reports survey shared with Secrets on Tuesday, 58% of likely voters said they plan to vote early, a huge jump from the 44% who said that before the 2022 midterm elections.
The shift to early voting, once just for those who planned to be absent on Election Day, was sped up by the COVID-19 crisis and states that shifted to vote-by-mail campaigns.
This year, found Rasmussen, 21% plan to vote early by mail and 37% plan to vote early in person.
And the Sept 30, 2024 Overnight … is in … https://t.co/PaTr88nARm pic.twitter.com/yshHzy8StY
— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) October 1, 2024
Republicans led by former President Donald Trump have fought to preserve and require Election Day voting, but with that quickly being junked, the party and Trump have been urging early voting.
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They apparently have received his message. Rasmussen said 55% of Republicans plan to vote early. By comparison, 68% of Democrats will vote early, as will 51% of independents.
The new survey also found that a majority of people believe the election will be affected by “cheating.” Some 62% said they are concerned about it, including 50% of Democrats and 77% of Republicans.