# Florida early voting opens

News · Heat 2.2 / 10 · 3 shows · 14m airtime

Florida's Division of Elections reported 418,000 mail ballots cast on October 14, 2026, about 5.6 percent of expected turnout, with Democrats at 43 percent and Republicans at 35.5 percent. The first read framed that as a 4.5-point shift from 2024, when Kamala Harris won early votes 60-40 and Trump still carried the state by 13 points. Later reporting holds that mail-in returns are running more Republican than in 2024, with Republicans leading return rates, while early voters who skipped the last four elections are turning out heavily and lean Democratic. About 120,000 Republicans and 80,000 Democrats who voted on Election Day 2024 have already voted early. The governor's race and Ashley Moody's Senate bid remain in the balance.

Page: https://boilpoints.com/point/florida_early_voting_opens_1156867453

## Segments

- [Ruthless Podcast](https://boilpoints.com/u/ruthlesspodcast), 2026-10-14, 33:00 to 36:01: **Opens Florida's early-vote card**. Opens a new state card: Florida's 418,000 mail ballots, the 43-35 Democratic edge, the 4.5-point shift from 2024, and the narrow 2018 governor's and Senate races as the frame. New angle: Florida's early vote is 43-35 Democratic on 418,000 mail ballots, a 4.5-point shift from 2024.
- [The Dan Bongino Show](https://boilpoints.com/u/thedanbonginoshow), 2026-10-16, 26:09 to 28:26: **Cites Florida mail-in returns favoring Republicans**. Bongino reads an X post showing Florida's mail-in returns running more Republican than 2024, with Republicans leading return rates, and cautions that early voting is a loose metric. The first Florida figure on the record that points the other way. New angle: Florida's mail-in returns are running more Republican than in 2024, with Republicans leading return rates so far.
- [Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar](https://boilpoints.com/u/breakingpointswithkrystalandsaagar), 2026-10-26, 17:01 to 20:26: **Reads the dashboard's surge among drop-off voters**. Reads Data Republican's Florida early-vote dashboard and finds the surge concentrated among people who sat out the last four elections, with Democrats turning out more than Republicans in that group. Adds G. Elliot Morris's point that Republicans would need the most successful Election Day mobilization in modern history. New angle: Florida early voters who skipped the last four elections are turning out heavily, and the new ones lean Democratic.
- [Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar](https://boilpoints.com/u/breakingpointswithkrystalandsaagar), 2026-10-26, 20:19 to 25:08: **Explains Florida's early-vote cannibalization**. Walks through what early-vote data can and cannot show, then uses Florida's cannibalization numbers: more Republicans than Democrats who voted on Election Day 2024 have already banked early ballots, which could make Democrats more competitive on Election Day itself. New angle: About 120,000 Florida Republicans and 80,000 Democrats who voted on Election Day 2024 have already voted early.