More Republicans Appear to Be Voting Early, Despite Trump’s Mixed Messages

The New York Times ^ | Oct. 22, 2024, 5:08 p.m. ET | Kellen Browning, Benjamin Oreskes

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Republicans have spent months and millions of dollars on an effort to push former President Donald J. Trump’s most loyal supporters to change their minds about voting early.

There is some evidence to suggest it’s working.

With polls opening on Tuesday in Wisconsin, some form of early voting has commenced in all seven of the swing states. As of Monday, 17 million people nationwide had already cast a vote — and there are initial indications that Republicans are showing up to the polls or returning absentee ballots with more gusto than in recent years. In many cases, Republican officials and canvassers on the ground are spurring their voters on with the same debunked conspiracy theories about fraud that Mr. Trump has used to sow doubt about the integrity of the count.

“They have done a better job of turning out their voters to vote early,” said Sam Almy, a Democratic political strategist who tracks early ballots in Arizona. “I think they realized that early voting is easy and convenient: It turns out your voters quickly, and they don’t have to gamble on turning out all their voters on Election Day.”

It’s a remarkable turnabout from four years ago, when Mr. Trump had thoroughly demonized every method of voting that didn’t occur in person on Election Day. As states expanded access to mail and absentee voting at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Trump repeatedly discouraged his voters from taking advantage. He said mail ballots created “chaos and confusion,” and asserted without evidence that it would lead to “election interference by foreign countries.” Many of his supporters believed him, and Joseph R. Biden Jr. won, buoyed by Democratic dominance in early and mail votes.

[Gene Eric]

>> Despite Trump’s Mixed Messages

Truth will prevail despite NYT’s reporting.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Vote early, vote often. 🤡

[mairdie]

This will be the first election in which husband and I vote early by whatever means. I ADORE voting. Have since I was 16 and grandmother brought me into the booth with her to vote for whomever I wanted. (Republican, straight)

But this time I want to get my vote in and properly registered when there’s time to check that everything happened correctly. Then I don’t have to worry about a car accident or a broken bone happening to wreck my Big Day. Our votes will be in and safe tomorrow.

[SharpRightTurn]

The NY Slimes wrote, without evidence, that “Joseph R. Biden Jr. won, buoyed by Democratic dominance in early and mail votes.”

In fact, in the wee hours of the morning following Election Day, hundreds of thousands of “votes” for BiteMe showed up out of nowhere.

[Lod881019]

Trump had major concerns about mail in voting which are valid he was always for absentee ballots. The thing is even he recognizes that you can’t keep trying to overcome 500,000 plus votes on Election Day in some states. That type of attitude cost Kerri Lake the governorship in Az.

[bray]

Got as far as debunked.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The wife and I stood in line 45 minutes this afternoon to get our votes in.

[MayflowerMadam]

In 1956 I pulled the lever for Eisenhower. Mom had cast her vote, and she held me up so I could pull the lever.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The NY Slimes wrote, without evidence, that “Joseph R. Biden Jr. won, buoyed by Democratic dominance in early and mail votes.” In fact, in the wee hours of the morning following Election Day, hundreds of thousands of “votes” for BiteMe showed up out of nowhere.

And those ballots were exclusively marked for the Presidential race. They contained no votes for down-ballot candidates.

OBAMA 2008
69,000,000 votes
Wins 873 Counties
Wins 18 of 19 Bellwether counties
Wins Florida, Ohio, and Iowa
Wins House seats
WINS ELECTION

TRUMP 2020
74,000,000 votes
Wins 2497 Counties
Wins 18 of 19 Bellwether counties
Wins Florida, Ohio, and Iowa
Wins House seats
LOSES ELECTION

BIDEN 2020
81,000,000 votes
Wins 477 Counties
LOSES 18 of 19 Bellwether counties
LOSES Florida, Ohio, and Iowa
LOSES House seats
WINS ELECTION

[Menehune56]

Crowded but almost no wait this morning, north Texas. I hope this will reduce the amount of political junk calls.

[Kalamata]

Being elderly and disabled, we vote asap on Day 1 : ) Never had to wait in line before this election, today we waited for about 30 minutes. Florida

[cgbg]

Good post.

That is exactly what massive theft looks like.

A million mass media lying and slanderous articles will not change that simple fact.

[mairdie]

SOOOO envious!!!!!

[mairdie]

I so look forward to feeling tomorrow like you feel today.

[KarlInOhio]

I don’t like early voting because I would rather ambush the Democrats. Would Trump have beaten Hillary if she had a couple weeks’ lead to stuff ballot boxes instead of working on a holographic glass ceiling breaking?

[RandallFlagg]

I went around 11AM. No lines. In and out in less than 15 minutes.

[cgbg]

Despite all the talking heads and articles there is no evidence that early voting numbers tell us anything about who will win.

There is nothing to be ambushed—it is all word salad and dubious analysis.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I don’t like early voting because I would rather ambush the Democrats.

I understand the sentiment, but then your vote is vulnerable to the dirty tricks Democrat election officials use in Republican districts, things like printing ballots that don't fit into the voting machines or running out of ballots.

[cowboyusa]

Now the Synagouge of Datan is saying that Trump depspared a Mexican marine, and said he needed Hitler’s Generals. From John Kelly. Snell the desperation.