Early voting results: A good omen for the Democrats?

Local unions and Democratic politicians put on a rally in Florida to encourage early voting.

(Image credit: Getty)

last updated 8 January 2015

Based on the latest available data, some analysts are saying that the "surprising" number of Democrats who've chosen to vote early may give their party reason to be hopeful about the midterms. As of yesterday, more Democrats than Republicans had turned up to vote in Iowa, Maryland, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Clark County, Nevada. But Republican turnout was greater in Florida and Colorado, as well as Washoe, Nevada. Do these early results suggest that the election will be closer than expected?

Good news for the Democrats: Despite talk of an "enthusiasm gap," says Michael P. McDonald in The Huffington Post, the Democrats are "off to a jack-rabbit start" in some key states, and more or less keeping the pace with Republicans elsewhere. "This race ain't over yet."

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Early voting is a bad idea, period: There's something "unsettling" about voters making their minds up weeks before Election Day, says Bob Barr at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. What happens if their candidate makes a "serious blunder," or changes his or her tune on a key campaign pledge? We shouldn't opt for "greater convenience" over making an informed vote. "If you ask me, early voting is a dumb idea."

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