One in five general election voters in 2004 reported that they cast their ballots before Election Day, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows. That was substantially more than in 2000.
Voters were asked whether they cast their ballots on Election Day, or if they had voted before then. Twenty percent of voters said that they cast their ballots early, while 80 percent said that they voted on Election Day. During the comparable fourteen-day period in 2000, 14 percent of voters reported that they cast their ballots early, while 86 percent said that they voted on Election Day.
“Early voting was at a national all time high in 2004,” said Kate Kenski, a senior research analyst at the Annenberg Public Policy, who studied the data. “The 2004 early voting levels were significantly higher than those in 2000.”
“Although voting at the polls on Election Day is still the most prevalent way that people cast ballots, more and more voters are making use of early voting options,” said Kenski.
