Early voting played a major role in the 2020 election and many believe it was the key to victory for the Democrats in winning the White House. 

According to the New York Post, while Democrats heavily depend on early voting as early votes typically favor their candidates, this election year could be really bad for the party as data indicates early voting numbers are down compared to 2020.

The data regarding early voting numbers is shockingly different at this point in time compared to the same point in the lead up to the 2020 election.

Strategists and observers are warning Democrats that the data is generally not favorable, as Democrats, especially in swing states, count on high numbers of early votes.

What's happening?

According to John Couvillon, a Republican political strategist who keeps track of early voting data, 4.2 million votes have been cast early, so far, this election cycle.

While the number seems large, it's not when one compares it to the 158 million votes cast in total during the 2020 election.

However, the worst part, likely for Democrats, is the fact that at this point in the election cycle, early voting is down 45%, marking a massive decline compared to the 2020 election.

The NY Post noted:

The number of early votes will rise substantially in the next two weeks as some states send out their mail ballots and others open in-person early-voting centers. But the share of votes cast early is still likely to be much lower even after this happens.

The outlet noted that the data showing the decline in early voting action is also down in several swing states, causing even more concern for Democrats given that the election will undoubtedly be decided by a handful of key swing states.

The Post added:

The drop is smaller but still noticeable in the three Midwestern blue-wall states. Mail-ballot requests are down 59% in Wisconsin, 36% in Pennsylvania and 24% in Michigan.

This is troubling news for Democrats as their voters have in recent years dominated among mail ballots.

Pennsylvania is key

Then-candidate Joe Biden was able to build just enough of a lead on then-candidate Donald Trump in Pennsylvania thanks mostly to absentee ballots.

However, this year, with early voting down and more PA voters leaning toward Trump, Vice President Harris will need nothing short of a miracle to pull off a win.

Many believe that winning Pennsylvania will win the election, as it holds that much weight in the Electoral College vote total.

Only time will tell if Democrats can pull it off, but as it stands, Trump is looking pretty good in the Keystone State.