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NBC News Poll: 52 Percent Say They'll Vote Early

By Charlie McCarthy | Wednesday, 16 October 2024 11:07 AM EDT

A majority of U.S. voters say they plan to vote before Election Day, though early voting remains a partisan issue, according to a new survey.

A share of 52% of voters say they're planning to cast their ballots early this year, an NBC News poll found. Another 44% say they plan to vote in person on Election Day.

Conducted Oct. 4-8, the poll's results show that 5% of registered voters say they've already voted — 3% by mail and 2% in person. Another 47% say they plan to vote early, 20% by mail and 27% in person.

The results released Tuesday also show that Vice President Kamala Harris has a 17-point lead (57% to 40%) among Americans who have already voted or plan to vote before Election Day. She has "a massive lead" over people planning to vote by mail and a narrow edge over early in-person voters.

Former President Donald Trump leads among voters planning to head to the polls Nov. 5 by a 21-point margin (58% to 37%).

The NBC News survey found that 3% say they aren't sure how they will vote and another 1% said they won't vote.

The poll's overall finding was similar from a survey concerning the 2022 midterm elections, when 49% of voters said they planned to vote early and 47% planned to vote on Election Day.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in early October 2020, 59% said they planned to vote early and 37% planned to wait to vote on Election Day. By late October, the share of people saying they'd vote early had risen to 68%.

The overall finding in the latest NBC News poll is significantly higher than the 41% who said they planned to vote early in early November 2016, when fewer states than now offered early voting.

Alabama was the first state to begin voting this year, when absentee ballots were sent to eligible voters on Sept. 11, USA Today reported. The state does not have an option for in-person early voting.

North Carolina had been expected to be the first state to initiate voting, but it was delayed by the legal process of removing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s name from the ballot after he withdrew from the race.