Election Day isn’t until November 4, but many Americans across the country – and the globe – already are casting ballots.

A handful of states have begun to let voters cast early ballots at designated sites or via mail, and many more will be following suit soon. In all, 36 states will have early voting, including important swing states like Ohio and Virginia.

As political experts anticipate record turnout at the polls, many voters are looking to avoid long lines by voting ahead of time. Political experts predict nearly a third of voters will cast ballots before Election Day, up from 16 percent in 2000 and 22 percent in 2004. Among those states with early voting are many key battlegrounds states such as Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. More than half of voters in those three states cast early ballots in 2004, and the number is likely to be higher in 2008.

Early voting “does cause campaigns some angst” as they figure out how to win over voters before the first presidential debate is even held, John Fortier of the American Enterprise Institute said September 18. Eager to secure votes, both Barack Obama and John McCain have been sending supporters e-mails encouraging them to cast their votes early. Fortier noted that most absentee and early voters wait until the week or two before Election Day before casting their ballots.

With so many Americans casting votes ahead of Election Day, and polls forecasting a close race, political experts indicate predicting the outcome of this election will remain difficult.