WASHINGTON — In the key battleground state of Florida, where absentee ballots aren’t available until Tuesday, a record number of voters already have requested to vote by mail.
So far 2.5 million Floridians have asked for ballots. Republicans have the edge in requests at 43 to 38 percent.
That’s a smaller advantage than 2008, when Republicans held a solid lead of 51 to 32 percent, according to data analyzed by the Associated Press.
President Obama ultimately won the state in 2008 by 2.8 percentage points.
The findings indicate a “slight advantage” for Hillary Clinton and likely reflect a lower enthusiasm for Donald Trump or lack of organization in Florida compared to 2008, Peter Bergerson, political science professor at Florida Golf Coast University, told The Post.
Organization is key in Florida, where about 50 percent of voting will take place before Election Day, due to the number of snowbirds, seniors and clustered communities, Bergerson said.
Early voting requests are also up in North Carolina, Georgia and Ohio, but down in Iowa.
The early figures suggest that advance voting could reach 40 percent nationally by Election Day.
Clinton’s team is counting on their ground game and organization to eat into Republicans’ traditional leads with absentee voting and then close the race with a strong in-person turnout Nov. 8.
On the stump this week, the Democratic nominee said she thinks this election could break records for turnout.
Clinton stopped in Des Moines on Thursday to kick off early voting in Iowa, where campaign volunteers were directing supporters to the polls after her rally.
Suffolk University pollster David Paleologos cautions against “rushing to judgment” on early voting numbers without knowing voters’ geography, race and party affiliation.
He’s also skeptical about breaking 2008 voter turnout numbers because enthusiasm hasn’t reached Obama-like levels to drive people to the polls.
“Look at the polling in terms of people who are excited about this election and people who are alarmed. Most people are alarmed about this election and Hillary Clinton is winning those people,” Paleologos told The Post.
“But among the people who are excited about this election, Trump is leading. If you are talking about record turnout, it would be about people who are excited.”