Early voting is already underway in Florida, the biggest swing state in the nation, as Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and President Trump fight over its 29 electoral votes.
The Florida Department of State reported today that over 6,600 mail-in ballots have been returned and more than 5 million others have been requested.
Voters in the Sunshine State have until Oct. 5 to register to vote and Oct. 24 to request a mail-in ballot.
The ballots already submitted puts the state on track to more than double the 2.7 million ballots that were cast via mail in 2016.
A partisan split is already emerging in the number of ballots being mailed in, with 2.3 million Democrats requested mail-in ballots compared with 1.6 million Republicans.
Another 1.1 million people not affiliated with either party have requested ballots be sent to them.
Florida has over 14 million voters, including more than 5.2 million Democrats and over 5 million Republicans.
The state is known to host tight elections, with controversy over vote-counting in 2000 ultimately deciding the state’s vote in favor of then-GOP presidential nominee George W. Bush – a victory that handed him the White House.
Florida also had to undergo recounts in its 2018 gubernatorial and Senate races due to razor-thin margins.
The Sunshine State is again a chief battleground this year, with the RealClear Politics average of polls showing Biden just 1.3 points ahead of Trump.
Both sides are dropping millions of dollars in ads, and Biden has garnered the help of former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg, who has already backed tens of millions of dollars in ad buys.
There is no path to 270 electoral votes for Trump if he fails to win Florida, creating a sense of urgency for Republicans in the state.