BATON ROUGE mdash; Louisiana early voting numbers have been steadily increasing for more than a decade.Statewide early voting is up about 38% from 2022, according to Secretary of State data. Robert Hogan, LSU political science chair and professor, said the increase reflects a broader nationwide tre nd of more people voting early each year."This is a general trend you're seeing in a lot of states. I think there are more people are taking part in early voting. It's convenient," Dr. Hogan said.Early voting in 2022 was already up nearly 20% from 2018. Steve Raborn, East Baton Rouge Parish registrar of voters, said the parish is seeing similar growth, with more people voting early each year."There's a lot of interest in early voting," Raborn said.Statewide, Black early voter participation surged by about 83% from 2022.Hogan said Jamie Davis' run for the U.S. Senate, especially after Louisiana lost one of its two majority-Black congressional districts this year, may have contributed to that increase."You have Jamie Davis, who is an African American candidate running for the US Senate. That's something that doesn't happen a lot. I think that plays a big role," Hogan said.Democrats have also cast nearly 16,000 more votes statewide than Republicans. Derek Babcock, Louisiana GOP chairman, said the party believes that is because more Republicans prefer to vote on Election Day."I think we're going to be fine, but you certainly can't take these things for granted. You have to work hard, and you have to work through the last hour until the polls close," Babcock said.Louisiana congressional campaign funding hit a record $74 million this month, helping candidates get their messages across to voters. Hogan believes that is also part of the reason more ballots were cast early.Permalink| Comments ...read more read less