Election 2008: The early voting surge in the South

For 16.5 million voters, the 2008 elections are already over. They live in one of the 31 states that have early voting.

Eight Southern states have early voting -- Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.

Two highlights so far:

(1) The biggest early voting state is North Carolina, where the total of early voters -- more than 1.8 million -- is already over half the entire voter turnout for 2004.

(2) Southern early voting is big among those who favor Barack Obama: Democrats and African-American voters. This is a big change from 2004, for example, when 60% of early voters nationally went for Bush.

Five Southern states break down who is voting early -- here are the numbers, thanks to Dr. Michael McDonald's helpful website at Virginia's George Mason University:

Florida
2,590,600 early voters -- 34% of total 2004 vote
Democrats: 45.4%
Republicans: 39%
None/Other: 15.6%

Georgia
1,381,100 early voters -- 42% of total 2004 vote
White: 60.6%
Black: 35.2%

Louisiana
266,880 early voters -- 14% of total 2004 vote
Democrat: 58.5%
Republican: 28.4%
None/Other: 13.1%
White: 60.8%
Black: 36.3%

North Carolina
1,847,900 early voters -- 52% of total 2004 vote
Democrat: 53.5%
Republican: 29.2%
None/Other: 17.6%
Under 45: 33.8%
White: 69%
Black: 27.1%

West Virginia
96,200 early voters -- 13% of total 2004 vote
Democrat: 59.4%
Republican: 31.5%
None/Other: 9.2%