As early voting begins, there are indications that Democrats are highly motivated to hit the polls.
700,000 people have already voted in 30 states, CNN reported. Party affiliation ballot requests seem to back up polling that has shown an enthusiasm gap between the parties.
Democrats made up 67 percent of ballot requests in Iowa. At this point in 2024, Democrats made-up 54 percent of requests. Ballot request numbers are also up over 2024 numbers for Democrats in Pennsylvania (66 percent to 62 percent), Maine (57 percent to 53 percent), and North Carolina (42 percent to 36 percent).
Surveys and primary voter data have favored the Democrats leading up to the midterm elections. A PBS poll recently found Democrats were favored on the generic ballot by 12 points. However, Democrats enjoyed a 25-point advantage among independents.
Also, the New York Times reported that Democrats saw a surge in primary turnout in key states throughout the spring and summer.
In Texas, for example, 2.3 million Democrats voted in the Senate primary, compared with only 2.2 million Republicans. The newspaper noted that this was a substantial shift compared to previous election cycles. Four years ago, Republicans outpaced Democrats in the primary by 900,000 votes.
Even in 2018, when Democrats enjoyed strong turnout and big midterm victories, Republicans still outpaced Democrats in the Texas primaries by 500,000, the Times reported. Democrats also outpolled Republicans in the primaries in several other key states including Michigan, Georgia, and North Carolina.
CNN reported that early voting data in Virginia shows strong turnout for areas that voted for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in 2024. The data also shows that Trump areas are lagging behind.
The network reported that cities and counties that favored Harris by 20 points are at 78 percent of their turnout at the same time in 2024. Meanwhile, areas that supported Trump by at least 20 points are at only 61 percent of their 2024 turnout.
"The Democrats are sitting in a very good place," Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion told PBS. "There's a lot of grumbling in the electorate and a lot of sentiment for changing things around."
