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Early voting is over in Louisiana; and unlike in previous years, Republicans outnumbered Democrats in casting their ballots early.
“Part of this is a reflection of the fact that there has been (an) increase in the number of registered Republicans in the state in recent years, relative to Democrats,” says Robert Hogan, LSU political science professor.
Another factor behind the strong Republican voter turnout, according to Hogan, is a strong desire for them to return Donald Trump to the White House.
“It could be partially explained by the energy that Republicans in the state have and their enthusiasm for Donald Trump,” says Hogan. “This is a state that in the last two general election cycles for president has gone for Trump by 58 percent.”
Of course, while the registered party of the early voters is known, how they voted is not.
Hogan says while opinion polls show Trump with a comfortable lead, it’s unclear whether he will increase his win margin in the state from four years ago.
“Louisiana is not a competitive state, and it is not one that hangs in the balance like other battleground states,” Hogan points out. “And so it’s hard to deduce much from the voting patterns, either from Democrats or from Republicans.”
Hogan says it also appears that the Republican Party is coming around to accepting early voting as an important part of the election process.
“In the last election, we know that Donald Trump tried to de-emphasize early voting,” Hogan notes. “But since then, the Republican parties in the states have tried to emphasize it more because it’s a way of banking their votes and allowing the parties then to focus their energy on other voters who haven’t yet voted.”
If you didn’t take advantage of early voting, your final chance to vote is on Election Day on Tuesday at your assigned precinct’s polling place.
Hogan says he expects that day to be a big one for Republicans in Louisiana.
“They are winning every office statewide, and you have a Republican governor who’s stoking that enthusiasm,” says Hogan. “So I think Republicans are going to do very well on Election Day this year.”
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