40 percent in new survey planning to vote early: Gallup

About 4 in 10 registered voters in the U.S. are planning to take advantage of early voting in the 2024 election, according to Gallup.

An analysis of voting trends by the pollster, released Friday, shows that while 40 percent of voters plan to cast their ballots early this year, there is a 15-point disparity between parties.

Democrats in a recent survey were more likely, 46 percent, to plan on voting early compared to Republicans, 31 percent. Independents fell in the middle, with 43 percent saying they planned to cast their ballot ahead of Election Day.

Inclinations to vote early have been spiking since 2004 and shattered double digits in 2012 and 2020, Gallup noted. The current Democratic advantage is similar to the 18-point deficit from the 2020 campaign.

The polarity is also apparent within different age groups. About 51 percent of voters ages 65 and older said they would cast their ballots early, higher than the 41 percent of those aged 50-64 and the 34 percent of voters under 50 who said the same, the survey showed.

A majority of registered voters, 69 percent, said they would vote in person this election cycle. Some 21 percent plan to vote by mail, while 6 percent are not sure. Voting by mail in 2020 was at 35 percent, the pollsters explained.

About 77 percent of Republican voters said they would vote in person, higher than independents, 66 percent, and Democrats, 64 percent. Democrats were more likely to choose a vote by mail option — 27 percent — compared to independents, 22 percent, and GOP voters, 13 percent, the poll found. 

With Election Day less than a month away, The Hill/Decision Desk HQ’s polling index shows Vice President Harris with a lead of 2.9 percentage points over former President Trump — 49.7 percent to 46.8 percent.

The analysis was based on a Gallup poll conducted Sept. 16-28 among 941 registered U.S. voters — before most states opened early voting. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.