For all the talk we’ve heard about the critical nature of early voting, you might be tempted to believe that the election is all but over already. Republican analysts have frequently blamed Donald Trump’s loss in 2020 on the reluctance of traditionally conservative voters to vote early or by mail, claiming that they then had to play “catch up” on election day. The party stressed the need to overcome that reluctance and get their own voters to the polls in advance. Meanwhile, the Democrats continued their push going door to door, registering voters, and directing them to early voting locations.
Something seems to be playing out differently this year, however. New data providing early voting numbers show that things aren’t playing out as expected. Not only is early voting not becoming increasingly prevalent but it’s actually down from this point four years ago. And not by a small…
