Early voting: More good signs for Clinton in key states

The millions of votes that have been cast already in the US presidential election point to an advantage for Hillary Clinton in critical battleground states, as well as signs of strength in traditionally Republican territory.
The strong early-voting turnout by those likely to support Clinton - registered Democrats, minorities, and young people among others - could leave Donald Trump with virtually no path to the 270 electoral votes needed for victory.
Clinton is showing strength in Florida and North Carolina, both must-win states for Trump, as well as the battleground states of Nevada, Colorado and Arizona. There are even favorable signs for Clinton in Republican-leaning Utah and Texas.

"It's going to be a very tall order for Trump to win," said Michael McDonald, a University of Florida professor who specialises in election turnout. Other analysts also point to a strong finish for Clinton based on the early vote.
Early voting, via mail or in-person, is underway in 37 states. More than 12.5 million votes have been cast, far higher than the rate in 2012, according to Associated Press data. In all, more than 46 million people - or as much as 40 per cent of the electorate - are expected to vote before Election Day, November 8.
The Clinton campaign describes both North Carolina and Florida as "checkmate" states. Trump probably can't win if he loses either.

After trailing in mail ballots, Democrats surged ahead of Republicans in North Carolina ballots cast after the start of in-person early voting last week. Democrats currently lead in ballots submitted, 47 per cent to 29 per cent.

In-person voting is off to a slower start for both Democrats and Republicans compared to 2012, when Republican Mitt Romney narrowly won the state. But many Democratic- leaning counties reduced the number of polling stations in the first week, a likely factor in the decline. Several of those counties are opening more stations this week.
In Florida, more than 2 million voters have already returned ballots. In-person voting began Monday, and Democrats have pulled virtually even with Republicans, at 41 per cent each. That's a much faster rate of catch-up than in 2012 and 2008, when Barack Obama won the state.

This year's numbers are troubling for Republicans.
"If current early vote trends hold, it's a real possibility that Clinton can sweep a majority of swing states including Florida," said Scott Tranter, co-founder of the Republican data analytics firm Optimus.
Once Republican states, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado are in play for Democrats. All are crucial for Trump.
Overall ballots in Nevada are down but the Democratic lead widened after the start of in-person voting last week. Democrats lead in returned ballots, 46 per cent to 35 per cent. Ballots from older white voters declined significantly while those from Hispanics and Asian-Americans rose.