Early voting heavy, breaking for Obama

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- At least 16 million U.S. voters already have cast ballots in the 2008 election, with polls indicating Democrat Barack Obama is the beneficiary.

In the 30-plus states that permit no-excuse absentee or early voting, 59 percent of those who already submitted their ballots indicated they voted for Obama for president while 40 percent said they voted for Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

McCain's political director Mike DuHaime suggested that as more early-voting results become known, they would reflect a traditional GOP advantage among absentee voters.

"Programatically, I feel pretty good about those numbers," he told the Post.

In a television interview, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe called the early turnout "good for democracy," adding campaign officials "love what we're seeing in terms of turnout" in Nevada, North Carolina, New Mexico, Ohio and Florida."

Early voters cast ballots at grocery stores in Nevada and from their driver's seat in California, The New York Times reported. Huge lines in Florida led Gov. Charlie Crist to order extending early voting hours statewide from eight hours a day to 12.

Election watchers said they expected early voting to be between 30 percent and 35 percent this year.