Early voting heavy in Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Jan. 26 (UPI) -- More than four times as many Democrats are expected to take advantage of early voting in the Florida primary this time around as in 2004, it was reported.

By Friday, 350,000 early Democratic ballots had arrived, up from 97,000 in 2004. Election officials expect the total to reach 400,000 by the time polls open Tuesday, The New York Times reported.

The number of Republicans voting early had hit 400,000 by Friday, more than the total number of votes in the Iowa and Nevada caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.

While Republicans have been campaigning intensely in Florida and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has bet his campaign on the state, Democrats have stayed out of the state. The national committee announced that Florida delegates would not be seated to punish the state for moving its primary up.

But in-state supporters of rival Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois have been encouraging voters to cast early ballots.

"There is a race going on," said Karen Thurman, the chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party. "And there will still be a headline: 'So-and-so has won Florida.' "