# How can they tell if Dems or Republicans are voting?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-they-tell-if-dems-or-republicans-are-voting/769657>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [October 25, 2016, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-they-tell-if-dems-or-republicans-are-voting/769657 "2016-10-25T02:53:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-they-tell-if-dems-or-republicans-are-voting/769657/1 "2016-10-25T02:53:40Z")

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In several stories about early voting, I’ve seen mentions that Democrats are voting more heavily than Republicans, which is likely something in Hillary’s favour.

How do they know? Isn’t it a secret ballot? 😕

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**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-they-tell-if-dems-or-republicans-are-voting/769657/2 "2016-10-25T03:00:11Z")

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In many states voters are listed by party registration. You register as a Republican, as a Democrat, as a member of the Socialist Worker Party/the Lizard People Party…or as a member of no party at all. Your stated party preference is at least semi-public, and can be reported as an aggregate. So in PA, where voters do choose a party to enroll with, it’s not difficult to count up the number of absentee votes from self described Dems vs self described Reps.

That doesn’t mean that all the early votes cast by registered Democrats are all votes for Cointon, of course. But it provides a peek into what might be happening.

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**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-they-tell-if-dems-or-republicans-are-voting/769657/3 "2016-10-25T03:21:06Z")

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Another way is… well, to ask them after voting. Polls can be made and that also gives us a clue of what is likely to happen.

[http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/302482-clinton-sports-big-lead-in-poll-of-nc-early-voters](http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/302482-clinton-sports-big-lead-in-poll-of-nc-early-voters)

> [@](#):
>
> Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by more than 20 points in a poll of North Carolina early voters.
> 
> The new survey from the liberal-leaning Public Policy Polling (PPP) finds that 63 percent of those who say they voted early back Clinton, the Democratic nominee, while just 37 percent say they voted for Trump. Less than a half of a percent say they voted for Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson.
> 
> The results are not the same as the official early-vote count, as the poll relies on people self-reporting both whether they have already voted and who they chose. But the results provide a snapshot of voters in a crucial swing state just 15 days before Election Day.
> 
> The poll also found that Clinton holds a slim lead over Trump among all likely voters, regardless of early-vote status, 47 percent to 44 percent.