In-person and mail-in ballots are starting to pour in across the country, and the tally in every state shows growing voter enthusiasm.

Recent polls suggest a razor-thin lead in the race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, and the results are expected to depend on each candidate's performance in seven swing states: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and North Carolina.

States have long allowed at least some Americans to vote early, such as military members and people with medical conditions who cannot vote. Many states expanded eligibility in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A man leaves the Board of Elections Loop supersite after casting his vote for the 2024 presidential election on the second day of early voting in Chicago, October 4, 2024. (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

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In the last presidential election, mail-in ballots tended to lean Democratic. According to one study, in 2020, 60% of Democrats said they would vote by mail, compared to 32% of Republicans Study 2021 from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab.

As of Wednesday morning, more than 19 million ballots had been cast nationwide.

According to the Associated Press, here is a breakdown of where early voting was cast either by mail or in person in the seven battleground states.

Arizona – 666,820

Georgia – 1,690,702

Michigan – 1,048,336

North Carolina – 1,381,184

Nevada – 260,052

Pennsylvania – 1,051,655

Wisconsin – 360,372

Over the past two decades, the prevalence of early voting has skyrocketed. While early voting shows voter enthusiasm, it does not reliably determine which candidate wins the race because fewer voters are expected to cast their ballots early than in the previous presidential election.

Election workers monitor early voting at a polling station in Marietta, Georgia, on October 15, 2024. (REUTERS/Jayla Whitfield-Anderson)

In 2020 the Fox News voter analysis found that 71% of voters cast their ballots before Election Day, with 30% voting early in person and 41% voting by mail. This time, polls suggest that about four in 10 voters will show up before November 5, according to Gallup polls.

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Democrats and Republicans are expected to be less divided on early voting this cycle. Four years ago, Democrats won total early voting by 11 points. However, two things have changed: First, many voters will be more willing to show up on Election Day now that the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer at the forefront. Second, unlike in 2020, Trump and the Republicans are no longer discouraging their voters from casting their votes early. The result is likely to be a narrower party gap once the votes are counted.

A sample ballot and voter sign are displayed on the first day of in-person early voting in Virginia on September 20, 2024 at the Long Bridge Park Aquatics and Fitness Center in Arlington, Virginia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Some states also offer breakdowns of their early ballots — for example, by party affiliation, race or age. Comparing these results with other elections might give the impression that one candidate or party is now doing better than the other.

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Additionally, while early voting data shows the party registration of some voters, it does not provide information about how they voted. The actual vote counts are not published by the states until election night. The voting data that some states are now releasing shows the party affiliation of voters who requested or returned a ballot. However, this is not the same as their actual vote. For example, a voter might have registered as a Democrat decades ago but decided to vote for Trump this year. Many voters are not registered with any party, making their voting even more mysterious.