More than 144,000 Michigan voters had cast ballots as of 5 p.m. on Oct. 26, the first day of early voting in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, across the state. The number of Michigan voters casting ballots on Oct. 26 is expected to increase when the vote totals are announced at 8 p.m. local time, when polling places close.
The early voting trend in Michigan is a model that is being implemented in many places in the 2024 US presidential election, according to the Washington Post. In addition to those who voted early, in the state of Michigan, more than 1.4 million people have voted by mail.
Although this is the first year of early voting in Michigan, the number of in-person voters on one day - October 26 - broke the record set in the presidential primary election earlier this year, when 79,000 Michiganders voted in nine days of early voting.
Early voting in Michigan began on October 26 and lasted nine days, ending on November 3, ahead of the 2024 US presidential election (November 5). Cities and counties in Michigan are also allowed to vote earlier, but only Detroit, East Lansing and Canton Township have chosen this option. According to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's website, about 13,000 early votes were cast before October 26.
Before Michigan, many other states in the US recorded early voting records in the 2024 US presidential election, notably the battlegrounds of North Carolina and Georgia. These states all recorded a large participation of Republican voters. However, the Washington Post said, it is still too early to know whether this voter turnout reflects an advantage for former President Donald Trump.
According to Fox News, two nationwide US election polls conducted from October 20-23 released on October 25 show that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump are in a tug-of-war.
The New York Times/Siena College poll shows the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates tied at 48%, a change from the previous poll in early October when Harris had a 3-point lead.
A CNN poll of likely voters in the US shows the candidates with support among likely voters nationwide at 47%. The previous poll in late September showed the Vice President leading by 1 point.
Fox News pointed out that the results of two US election polls show warning signs for both candidates in this year's election. Ms. Harris is gradually losing her advantage in support compared to Mr. Trump in both polls. Previously, in July, when she replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate in 2024, Ms. Harris had a surge in support. However, the support rate has gradually decreased in recent months. Another warning sign for Ms. Harris is that polls show that her support from voters of color is lower than Mr. Biden's support rate in the 2020 US election. As for Mr. Donald Trump, his support rate among white voters is equivalent to his position in the 2020 US election.
