University of Florida Election Lab Launches New Jersey Early Vote Dashboard
October 27, 2023
In preparation for the 2024 election, this demonstration page serves as an interactive hub of visualized early voting statistics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Today, the Election Lab at the University of Florida unveiled its early voting dashboard for New Jersey’s 2023 general election. The dashboard documents the cumulative votes cast in the weeks heading into the election, whether the votes are in-person or by mail, how many mail ballots have been requested, and how many mail ballots have been voted or are still outstanding.
Since 2008, Dr. Michael McDonald, a professor of political science at the University of Florida, has tracked early voting activity across the country as part of the United States Elections Project. Millions of people have followed along with the early voting tracker since its inception, and these statistics have been widely reported on by local, national, and international media. This year, Dr. McDonald is migrating his work to the Election Lab at UF website, joining other projects such as precinct boundary data, local election results data, and national voter turnout rates.
The Early Vote Project at the Election Lab at UF covers the period of time leading up to presidential general elections, as well as other select elections of note. Overall state statistics on the number of early voters are broken down into voting method: in-person or by mail. Where available, crosstabs are further sorted by county and demographic group, such as party registration, age, gender, and race.
These live-updated statistics can help project the expected overall turnout for the election and indicate which pollster’s likely-voter-model assumptions are the most reasonable. Comparing the early vote’s demographic makeup across similar election cycles also provides insight on relative partisan engagement. Interactive data visualization models illuminate early voting patterns and make them more accessible to the general public.
New Jersey is one of the few states that provides relatively easy access to election data on the individual level. This year’s statewide elections to the General Assembly are an ideal test run for building the pipeline from raw data to website-based visualizations. The 2023 New Jersey election dashboard is a precursor to the Election Lab’s expansive coverage of the 2024 presidential election early vote, which aims to provide data from all 50 states’ early voting periods.
About the University of Florida’s Election Lab
The Election Lab at the University of Florida is a collaboration of faculty and students who analyze election data, such as voter turnout, precinct election boundaries and results, and early voting activity. Our mission is to provide timely and accurate statistics, software, and reports regarding voting and elections, primarily in the United States. We seek to better inform people about how elections work, how voting may be improved, and how the public can become more engaged and more confident in the electoral process. For more information and to see more of our work, visit election.lab.ufl.edu and follow @ufelectionlab.
Contact: Michael McDonald
Phone: +1 (352) 273-2371
Email: election-lab@ufl.edu