CHICAGO – The increase in the number of anticipated votes in the main states of the country suggests that 2018 may be the year when young people will run for mid-term elections.

For decades, older voters dominated the electorate in the non-presidential years. However, early and absent voting among 18- to 29-year-olds has increased dramatically in a number of highly competitive states – including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada and the United States. Texas – compared to the 2014 mid-race races.

Early youth voting in Illinois is up 144% from the 2014 intermediate outcomes. More than 70% of the 6,200 students at the University of Chicago have registered to vote through the TurboVote application. On the university's advance voting site, students waited up to an hour to vote.

For the first time, 18-year-old Eric You spent Halloween laying candy bags at the doors of fellow students at the University of Chicago. This reminder included a very millennial reminder: Do not change the vote.

Hi! Here we have full coverage of the mid-term elections. Let's start!

As a member of the non-partisan UChi University Votes initiative, you said that his motivation was simple.

"I want there to be control over this president," Tu said.

If the trend of early youth voting continues, it could increase the Democrats' chances of winning the 23 seats they need to take control of the House and win several governor races, according to a survey by the Institute. Harvard policy published last week. Polls suggest that Republicans could add to their margin of 51 to 49 in the Senate.

Forty percent of the young voters who responded said they would vote "definitely" in mid-term, the Harvard poll found. Fifty-four percent of Democrats indicated a high probability of voting; 43% of Republicans indicated a high probability.

Less than 20% of young people took the time to vote in 2014, which is half the rate of the general population.

Early voting data before polling day suggest that this year could be different.

More than 35 million Americans have already voted for the mid-term poll, an increase of 75% from the roughly 20 million people who voted before polling day, 2014.

Nationally, voters aged 18 to 39 have almost tripled their advance polls since 2014. This has increased their share of the advance vote by more than 3 percentage points.

The share of advance voting for voters aged 50 to 64, meanwhile, decreased by more than 2.5 percentage points. The share of people aged 65 and over fell by almost 5 points.

In Georgia, where Democrat Stacey Abrams plans to become the first female black governor in the country's history, young voters voted nearly 215,000 ballots Saturday, an increase of 362% over the previous year. Election 2014, according to TargetSmart, a Democratic party. political data services company.

More: Trade wars, taxes and immigration as key economic issues for voters in mid-term elections

More: What is at stake in the midterms? Both parties warn that the future of our democracy is under threat

More: Election day is almost here. Here's what you need to know before voting at the mid-term.

In Nevada, where Republican Senator Dean Heller is stuck in a close race against Democratic representative Jacky Rosen, young voters voted for more than 56,000 votes, an increase of 409% in advance and mail-order votes.

Nearly 300,000 young Floridians voted early, an increase of 111% over 2014.

The state has two renowned races. For the governor, polls show that Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum has a slight advantage over Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis. The seat is currently occupied by Republican Gov. Rick Scott.

For the Senate, polls show Scott is closely following outgoing Democratic MP Bill Nelson.

Voters in the Sunshine State are younger, more racially diverse and less likely to belong to a political party than in recent decades, according to an analysis by the USA TODAY network.

76% of voters aged 65 and over are non-Hispanic whites. Only 50% of Florida voters under the age of 30 are.

Young voters made up about 6.8% of the voters who voted in advance and voters absent in Florida. In 2014, they accounted for about 4.8%. The proportion of anticipated voters aged 65 and over fell to 44.6%, compared to 47.8% in 2014.

Susan MacManus, a retired political science professor from the University of South Florida, predicted that young voters would decide on elections. Strong youth participation would help the Democrats; If they remain largely at home, the Republicans will win.

"They will make someone the winner," she said. "Or they will make the other person the winner."

The number of people newly registered to vote in Arizona this year is more than double that of the last election year at mid-term, according to data from the office of the secretary of state.

The youngest voters, aged 18 to 24, have been the new voters since January 1st. Advance voting among Arizona voters rose about 186% by Friday, compared to the same point in 2014 at the mid-point.

In Missouri, one of 13 states that do not allow advance voting or advance voting without a valid excuse, Democrat and Republican students from Missouri's flagship university have been working with a non-lobby group. -partisans to enroll more than 2,000 students this fall.

Sen. Democrat Claire McCaskill, in the most-watched show Me State show, is fighting a challenge from Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley. Polls show that Hawley has a slight lead over the fact that President Trump gained almost 19 percentage points in 2016.

Kayla Everett, who heads the Missouri College Democrats, said Trump's victory in 2016 helped turn on a light bulb for many students who previously had little interest in politics, especially to young women.

"After 2016, the atmosphere on the campus was different," she said. "Young people are more engaged and recognize that they need to be more aware of what is going on."

Maxx Cook, president of Republicans of Missouri College, said his organization had seen a slight increase in the number of students attending the group's events. University campuses tend to swing to the left, but Cook said that the current generation was more open than its predecessors in terms of political ideology.

"There is energy with this election among young people," he said. "But I think we have to wait and see where the young votes go."

Contribute: Rachel Leingang and John McCarthy

Follow the US TODAY National correspondent, Aamer Madhani, on Twitter: @AamerISmad

Read or share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/11/05/midter-election-early-voting-absentee-ballot-youth-vote-republican-democrat/ 1892285002 /