CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Friday, early voting numbers exceeded 2020 numbers, capping off a two-week period of high voter turnout. In that time, Republicans have outpaced Democrats in early in-person voting, defying past trends. But Chris Cooper, professor at Western Carolina University and author of the new book "Anatomy of a Purple State," cautions against reading too much in early voting numbers.
"What does this tell us about who's gonna win the election? I would say really nothing, right? This is like showing up to a baseball game, carrying an umbrella and thinking you're gonna hit a home run. It's just the wrong tool for the job," Cooper said.
Still, he argued early voting numbers do show a large number of voters heading to the polls. But, with unaffiliated voters showing up in roughly the same numbers as Republicans and Democrats, forecasting any outcomes is nearly impossible.
"They do not give us very good tea leaves to say who's gonna win," he said.
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