Democrats bank early votes in key states

updated 1:36 p.m. ET Oct. 19, 2008

WASHINGTON - Two weeks before Election Day, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is busily banking every early vote he can get in key states. Republican nominee John McCain is more selectively working to lock in the early votes of his most iffy supporters, figuring the rest will make it to the polls sooner or later.

Voters in every state can now cast ballots through early voting or absentee voting programs. Results won't be released until Nov. 4, but a look at those who have voted shows the Democrats have been aggressive.

In Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina and Ohio, Democrats — or at least those living in heavily Democratic areas — are requesting and submitting ballots in large numbers. In Florida, Republicans hold an edge, while in Indiana, absentee voting has been split among Republican and Democratic areas.

President Bush won all six states in 2004, and McCain probably needs to win them all to claim the White House this year. The early voting snapshot, taken more than two weeks before Election Day, illustrates the strategies and strengths of both presidential campaigns.

Obama pushing early voting
Obama is pushing early voting on a grand scale, in speeches, e-mails, a Web site and even ads placed inside video games. Eighteen video games, including the extremely popular "Guitar Hero" and "Madden 09," will feature in-game ads from the Obama campaign.

"We are trying to expand the electorate and expand the process," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe.

Republicans, meanwhile, are targeting supporters who don't always vote in presidential elections, believing they can get more reliable voters to the polls on Nov. 4, said Rich Beeson, political director for the Republican National Committee.

Obama could win the absentee vote race in some competitive states, but Republicans are hoping McCain will more than make up the difference on Election Day, Beeson said. The Republicans, with their extensive database of voter information, have long had a formidable get-out-the-vote operation.

A third of electorate to vote early
Nationwide, about a third of the electorate is expected to vote early this year, thanks to expanded early voting provisions and fewer restrictions on absentee voting. That would be up from 22 percent in 2004 and 16 percent in 2000.

Ebonee Lusk, who voted early in Fort Wayne, Ind., said she couldn't wait until Nov. 4 to cast her ballot for Obama. "I wanted to get in, cast my vote for Barack Obama and make sure my vote counts," said Lusk, 28.

Leonard Goeglein, an 80-year-old Fort Wayne retiree, said he made sure to get his vote in for McCain before he heads to Florida for the winter.

"We're going to get out of the cold weather for awhile so I had to vote early," Goeglein said.

Absentee voting used to be reserved mainly for people who were unable to make it to the polls on Election Day, whether they were too sick to travel, away on business or serving in the military. This year, more than 30 states allow any registered voter to cast an early ballot, some in person and others by mail.

Election officials in many states report high demand for absentee ballots.

"Every presidential year it gets bigger as more people get comfortable with it and they understand the process," said Iowa Secretary of State Michael Mauro. "It's a fact of life that people in America like to do things at their own convenience."

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