Harris has big lead among early voters, Trump among Election Day voters: poll

Three weeks before Election Day, Americans are already showing a strong partisan preference for how they vote, according to a new public opinion poll.

The NBC News poll found that 5% of registered voters said they had already cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election. Three percent of voters said they mailed their ballot, while 2 percent voted in person in advance. Nearly half of survey respondents who have not yet voted, 47%, said they plan to vote early – 20% plan to vote by mail and 27% plan to vote in person.

Of those early voters, Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, leads her rival, former President Trump, by 17 percentage points, 57% to 40%. Among those voting by mail, Harris leads 66% to 32%, although the lead is narrower among those who want to vote early in person, 51% to 47%.

Three new polls agree on where Trump and Harris stand with three weeks until Election Day

A man leaves the Board of Elections Loop supersite after casting his vote in the 2024 presidential election on October 4, 2024 in Chicago. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

But Trump, the Republican nominee, has a commanding 58% to 37% lead among those planning to vote on Election Day.

The poll found that 52% of voters said they planned to cast their ballot early, while 44% planned to vote on November 5th. Another 3% said they were unsure how they would vote, while 1% said they would not vote.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLS SHOW ABOUT THE 2024 ELECTION

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at Williams Arena in Minges Coliseum on the campus of East Carolina University on October 13, 2024 in Greenville, North Carolina. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The NBC News poll of 1,000 registered voters was conducted Oct. 4-8 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

So far, 46 states and Washington, DC have begun some form of early voting.

Check out FOX NEWS' latest power rankings in the 2024 election

Former President Trump holds a town hall meeting at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on October 14, 2024. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

States have long allowed at least some Americans to vote early, such as military members or people with medical conditions. Many states expanded voting eligibility in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic made it riskier to vote in person.

This year, the Fox News voter analysis found that 71% of voters cast their ballots before Election Day, with 30% voting early in person and 41% voting by mail.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Early voting remained popular in the intermediate examswith 57% of voters casting their ballots before Election Day.

Election officials emphasize that early voting is safe and secure. Recounts, investigations and lawsuits filed after the 2020 election found no evidence of widespread fraud or corruption.

Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom, Kellianne Jones and Rémy Numa contributed to this report.

Get the latest updates on the 2024 election, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital Election Center.