Here's What Happened With Early Voting

It's Election Day in America, and that means people all over the country are anxiously, excitedly pouring over poll numbers, trying to get a sense of what's going to happen. And one of the hottest topics of conversation in the race so far has undoubtedly been the state of early voting totals ― how people voted, which demographics backed which candidate, where the power centers for the different campaigns are located, the whole nine yards. So, what do the numbers look like? Here are some early voting updates from the 2016 presidential race, because in the final hours of the election season, everything is on the line.

When you're talking about the early vote, it's impossible to deny that the places that matter the most are those hotly contested, potential tipping-point states ― places like Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, and Virginia. A big draw in early voting can help build an electoral wall to protect yourself come election day, while an underwhelming performance can be costly indeed.

So, how did the early voting numbers turn out? Here's what's known so far, in an array of absolutely essential battleground states that could end up determining who claims the White House. Suffice to say, they figure to conclude in tight, tight finishes.

In the state of Florida, the total of early votes and mail-in ballots adds up to a huge number ― 6,424,595 to be precise, according to CNN, which on its own amounts to more ballots than were cast in the entire 2000 election. In North Carolina, according to CNN, the early voting numbers have proven somewhat concerning for the Democrats, with Democratic turnout trailing 2012 margins at just 1.3 million ballots cast. By comparison, Republicans cast 990,000 votes in the early period.

In Georgia, sadly, the party affiliation of early voters isn't publicly revealed, so only the raw total is available ― according to AL.com, the state saw a whopping 1.5 million early votes turned in. In Wisconsin, one of the typically blue states that GOP nominee Donald Trump was eager to try to flip, there's similarly no breakdown of early votes by party affiliation, but the raw total is up ― 775,560, outpacing 2012's tally by more than 100,000. Pennsylvania, hotly contested and crucial battleground state though it is, is a same-day voting state, meaning that there's no early voting.

Suffice to say, however, the early voting figures are now fading into the background, as the live results pour in from states across the north and southeast. As it stands now, it's looking like a very tight race, with results too close to call in a slew of pivotal battleground states.