Early Voting Sees Increased Activity in Multiple States

As the general election approaches, early voting is taking shape across the U.S. In Illinois, over 203,000 ballots have already been cast, with significant participation in areas like Champaign and Sangamon Counties, while Minnesota reports over 520,000 absentee ballot requests, marking an increase from 2016 but lower than the pandemic peak in 2020. Minnesota's new automatic voter registration program has registered around 90,000 residents, though some errors have raised concerns. Meanwhile, in France, a record 3.4 million voters used proxy voting in recent legislative elections, particularly among younger demographics. In South Dakota, local absentee voting is also underway, with expectations of about 5,000 absentee voters for the general election. Voter participation remains a critical focus as citizens prepare to make informed decisions on a range of ballot issues.