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Sarasota News Leader November 2, 2012 many ballots as possible before Election Day to shorten their list of get-out-the-vote targets. According to statistics provided by Saraso- ta County Supervisor of Elections Adminis- trative Assistant Joyce Soltis, as of close of business Wednesday, 42 percent of registered voters had already cast their ballots. Republicans had cast 36,192 absentee ballots to the Democrats' 29,336 — an 8-point differ- ence in a county in which Republicans hold a 44 percent to 32 percent registration edge. In Page 13 2008, the Republican absentee advantage was 15 points. But as of Wednesday, the Republicans had a wider lead in early voting, having cast 47 per- cent of the early ballots to the Democrats' 34 percent. In 2008, the GOP bested the Demo- crats by just 1 percent. Overall, Republicans had cast 45 percent of all votes as of Oct. 31, with the Democrats at 35 percent. Before Election Day in 2008, those numbers were 44 percent and 37 percent, re- spectively. Ed James, an Obama for America field organizer, energizes the audience at the rally in Sarasota. Photo by Cooper Levey-Baker