[NATIONALJOURNAL] There are still two months until Election Day in November--but, today, ballots are already on their way to voters in North Carolina.For voters in many key battleground states, Election Day can come far sooner than the first Tuesday in November, a fact that scrambles the calculus for candidates and has both parties investing heavily in turnout operations. More than a third of the 2014 electorate is expected to cast ballots early this year, and they're starting to do it very soon.
Democrats have enjoyed a ground-game advantage in past elections, and have put $60 million behind their field efforts in 10 key Senate states--two facts they're counting on help tip the scales toward them in a year when the electorate will be whiter and more conservative than in presidential years. But Republicans aren't ceding the ground game, and they have made significant investments--including an additional $8 million last week--of their own to help with early-vote turnout and field operations.