early voting totals

[Takket]

General question.... are early voting counts and total posted by the states? I thought early voting ballots were simply "added in" with the rest of the ballots when precincts report their totals after polls close on election day.

Yet i'm seeing many threads with vote counts from early voting. Where do these come from, and isn't it rather unethical to publish these numbers as they can have an effect on people who are going to vote on election day?

[Gothmog]

1. These numbers are usually on Sec. of State website

Here is the link for Texas which shows the 15 largest counties http://www.sos.state.tx.us/Elections/earlyvoting/2016/oct29.shtml

[wishstar]

3. WHO people voted for is not released early, only how many have voted by party affiliation

So pollsters and politicos know how many Dems, Repubs, Indies have voted in each area, but not how they voted. But they make educated guesses as to how they probably voted based on polling that is done with samples of those who have already voted as well as those who haven't voted where they compare how many voters stuck with their affiliation and how many voted for the other party rather than their own affiliation.

[Proud liberal 80]

5. I actually like polls better

Like the NBC Marist. They actually polled people that already voted and then did their formula based on that. That is almost like doing an exit poll.

[wishstar]

6. Yes, as more polls are done with people who voted early, probabilities become more accurate

That is why political pros expect to know who is winning by mid-week, except in areas too close to call

[MyNameIsKhan]

4. Electproject.org has upto date totals