INSTITUTE INDEX: Voters flock to polls early in Southern battleground states

Early votes reported across the U.S. so far in this election: over 14 million

Early votes cast so far -- including in-person and mail-in early votes -- in the nine Southern states that have reported their numbers: nearly 6.8 million

Of the Southern states that have reported early voting counts, percent of registered voters who have voted early: 12.7

Of the 13 Southern states, number that don't have in-person early voting: 5

Number of Southern states that have cut early voting periods since 2010: 5

Increase over 2010 in early votes cast this year in Louisiana, where a highly contested U.S. Senate race tops the ticket: about 111,000

Percent increase over 2010 in early votes cast in Arkansas, another U.S. Senate battleground: 34

Days cut from early voting by the restrictive "monster" election law passed last year in North Carolina, where there's another close U.S. Senate race this year: 7

Days of early voting North Carolina now allows: 10

In the last midterm election, number of ballots cast in North Carolina during those seven days of early voting that have been eliminated: 200,000

Number of days it took this year to reach the same number of early votes cast in North Carolina as during the first 12 days of early voting in 2010: 5

Percent of North Carolina’s 2010 electorate that was African-American: 21.6

Percent of North Carolina's electorate today that is African-American: 24

Percent of North Carolina's early voters as of Oct. 29 who are African-American: 25

Of the voters in Georgia and North Carolina who cast ballots this past Sunday, percent who were black: 53

In 2010, percent of Georgia's early voters who were African American: 26

Percent of Georgia’s early voters so far this year who are African-American: 30

Percent of early voters in Georgia and North Carolina so far who did not vote in 2010: 22

(Click on figure to go to source.)