Early Voting Underway In 34 States

Although regular (in-person) voting is only one week away, millions of voters have already cast their ballots, either via mail-in absentee or in-person early voting.

Early voting -- especially by-mail absentee voting -- is becoming increasingly important. In the 2004 election, 20 percent of voters cast early absentee ballots; in 2000, it was 11 percent. Of the 50 states, here's the data on in-person or by-mail early voting:

• 33 states allow "no excuse" absentee voting, either by mail or in-person;
• 22 states plus the District of Columbia require an excuse to vote absentee by mail;
• 4 states do not allow early, in-person absentee voting;
• 1 state votes 100% by mail.

Here's a current run-down of early voting in 34 states around the country:

1. Alaska (3 electoral votes). In-person absentee voting began 20 October.
2. Arizona (10 electoral votes). In-person or by mail absentee voting began 33 days before election day.
3. Arkansas (6 electoral votes). In-person or by mail absentee voting began 20 October.
4. California (55 electoral votes). About 6% of California's registered voters have cast early ballots; voters may register as "permanent absentee."
5. Colorado (9 electoral votes). About 10% of Colorado's 3.2 million registered voters have already cast ballots.
6. Florida (27 electoral votes). People trying to avoid long lines on 4 November ran into them on the first day of early voting. About 50% more registered Republicans than Democrats have requested absentee ballots.
7. Georgia (15 electoral votes). About 18% of the state's 5.6 million registered voters have cast early votes. Georgia requires a reason when requesting an absentee ballot
8. Hawaii (4 electoral votes). Hawaii has seen a 20% increase in requests for absentee ballots.
9. Idaho (4 electoral votes). About 12% of Idaho's registered voters have asked to vote early.
10. Illinois (21 electoral votes). In-person early voting began 22 days before election and ends 5 days before the election.
11. Indiana (11 electoral votes). About 7% of Indiana's registered voters have cast early ballots.
12. Iowa (7 electoral votes). About 13% of Iowa's voters have cast absentee ballots.
13. Kansas (6 electoral votes). More than 135,000 voters have cast early ballots, either in-person or absentee by mail.
14. Louisiana (9 electoral votes). In-person absentee voting runs from fourteen (14) to seven (7) days prior to the election.
15. Maine (4 electoral votes). About 10% of Maine's registered voters have cast ballots early.
16. Montana (3 electoral votes). About 15% of Montana's registered voters have cast ballots early.
17. Nebraska (5 electoral votes). About 10% of Nebraska's voters have cast early ballots, either in-person or by mail.
18. Nevada (5 electoral votes). More than twice as many registered Democrats as Republicans are casting early ballots in Las Vegas and Reno. Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the nation.
19. New Jersey (15 electoral votes). No excuse required for in-person or mail-in absentee voting.
20. New Mexico (5 electoral votes). More than 150,000 voters have cast early ballots, either in-person or by mail. Almost twice as many Democrats as Republicans have voted early.
21. North Carolina (15 electoral votes). More than 1 million voters have cast early ballots, either by mail or in person. Three times as many registered Democrats as registered Republicans have voted early.
22. North Dakota (3 electoral votes). Almost 40,000 voters have cast early ballots.
23. Ohio (20 electoral votes). Almost 1.5 million voters have requested early ballot request, either in-person or by mail.
24. Oklahoma (7 electoral votes). No excuse required for in-person or mail-in absentee voting.
25. Oregon (7 electoral votes). All Oregonians vote by mail.
26. South Dakota (3 electoral votes). Voters may cast an in-person absentee ballot up until 3 pm on election day.
27. Tennessee (11 electoral votes). Record numbers are turning out in Tennessee, where officials estimate that 40 to 50 percent of all votes will be cast early or by absentee ballot.
28. Texas (34 electoral votes). Record numbers are turning out in Texas, where early voting started on 20 October.
29. Utah (5 electoral votes). Early absentee voting, in-person or by mail, began 14 days before the election.
30. Vermont (3 electoral votes). Early absentee voting, in-person or by mail, began 30 days before the election.
31. Washington (11 electoral votes). Washingtonians in all but two counties vote by mail; voters in King and Tacoma may vote absentee (by mail) but also may vote at a poll on election day. Washington has no in-person advance voting.
32. West Virginia (5 electoral votes). Almost twice as many Democrats as Republicans have cast early ballots.
33. Wisconsin (10 electoral votes). Early absentee voting, in-person or by mail, began 21 days before the election.
34. Wyoming (3 electoral votes). Almost twice as many Republicans as Democrats have cast early ballots.

Excuse required for absentee voting: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois (by mail), Indiana (by mail), Kentucky, Louisiana (by mail), Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee (by mail), Texas (by mail), South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia (by mail),

Learn More: Electoral Votes By State and An Illustrated Guide To Voting Methods. Also, check out VoteAbsentee.us.

See an interactive voting map from CNN; read more at the Wall Street Journal.