In Clark County, Nevada, as in a growing number of jurisdictions across the country, the notion of Election Day as a one-day event is disappearing. In the 2008 and 2010 general elections, more than half of Clark County voters cast ballots during a 14-day early voting period.
A pilot project introduced early voting to select precincts in the county in 1994 and was put to use countywide in 1996. In the 1996 presidential election, approximately 17 percent of all ballots cast were cast early. By the 2008 presidential election, this number had risen to 60 percent.
Additionally, thanks to detailed data provided on the county elections office website, we can also see trends in when people vote during the 14-day period. In every election since 1998 (the first year early voting data by day are available), one-third of early ballots were cast during the last three days of the period, with the last day of early voting seeing the largest share of any day.