FILE- In this Aug. 9, 2016 file photo, Chairwoman Kathryn Lindley, right, is approached by people during the Guilford County Board of Elections meeting at the Old Guilford County Courthouse in Greensboro,... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE- In this Aug. 9, 2016 file photo, Chairwoman Kathryn Lindley, right, is approached by people during the Guilford County Board of Elections meeting at the Old Guilford County Courthouse in Greensboro, N.C. The swing state of North Carolina could be pushed in a Republican or Democratic direction... (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — Get ready: Voting in the 2016 election is now underway. 
 
 Advance voting begins Friday in North Carolina, the first of 37 states that will allow balloting by mail for any reason or in person before the actual Election Day of Nov. 8. 
 
 It's part of a nearly nine-week campaign frenzy in which millions of voters will have the ability to fill out a ballot and be done with the 2016 presidential race. 
 
 North Carolina residents are first, and they can now submit absentee ballots by mail without an excuse. They also will be able to vote early at polling booths beginning Oct. 20. 
 
 Ballots from all 50 states will be sent to members of the armed services and voters living abroad the week of Sept. 19. And Georgia residents may also begin mailing in ballots that week, followed by battlegrounds Wisconsin and Virginia. 
 
 Iowa will accept early ballots starting Sept. 29, three days after the first presidential debate. 
 
 "If one campaign does significantly better in harvesting early votes, that campaign will have a substantial advantage as election day approaches," said Paul Gronke, a Reed College professor and director of the Early Voting Information Center in Portland, Oregon. 
 
 The stakes are high: Voters who cast ballots in advance are expected to make up between 50 to 75 percent or more of all ballots in the battlegrounds of North Carolina, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Georgia, according to data compiled by The Associated Press. 
 
 Nationwide, about 45.6 million people or roughly 35 percent of the electorate attracted by its convenience voted prior to Election Day in 2012, and that number is expected to increase in 2016. 
 
 The campaigns know it, too. 
 
 Hillary Clinton appeared in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday and applauded a recent federal appeals court decision invalidating restrictions that the judges determined made it harder for non-whites to vote. "Get out and vote and make it clear we're not putting up with that," she said. 
 
 The Trump campaign, working with the Republican National Committee to boost absentee mail balloting in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Iowa, described its early efforts as key to a "path to victory." 
 
 "We must reach every voter before early voting and Election Day," wrote campaign manager Kellyanne Conway in a Sept. 5 memo. ||||| In this Nov. 1, 2016, photo, a voter is reflected in the glass frame of a poster while leaving a polling site in Atlanta, during early voting ahead of the Nov. 8 election day. If all goes smoothly, the... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Nov. 1, 2016, photo, a voter is reflected in the glass frame of a poster while leaving a polling site in Atlanta, during early voting ahead of the Nov. 8 election day. If all goes smoothly, the American people will choose a new president on Tuesday, the Electoral College will affirm the election... (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — Grab some snacks, the TV remote, your calculator and a schedule of poll closings. You might also want to caffeinate because it could be a late night. 
 
 The tumult and tedium of Campaign 2016 finally culminates Tuesday as the nation chooses among Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and a variety of third-party types. 
 
 The action will roll from east coast to west, from pre-dawn voting in New Hampshire to late-night poll closes in Alaska. 
 
 Some things to watch for as the autumn of our campaign discontent hurtles to a close (all times are EST): 
 
 THE TIMELINE 
 
 Look for the first burst of results when polls close at 7 p.m. in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia. Look for bigger blasts of numbers just after 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., when polls close in a combined 30 states and the District of Columbia. The 11 p.m. batch of states includes big kahuna California, with 55 electoral votes. Alaska, where polls close at 1 a.m. on Wednesday, brings up the rear. 
 
 ___ 
 
 MOM WAS RIGHT 
 
 Math really does matter. Election Day is all about which candidate can win enough states to get to 270 electoral votes. News organizations will keep a running tally. But you can go full nerd and play around with a Road to 270 calculator to get your favored candidate to the magic number. Beware: It can take a while for the picture on election night to clarify, simply because of how the vote rolls in across the country. In 2012, Republican Mitt Romney was still ahead in the electoral and popular vote at 10:30 p.m.; an hour later, President Barack Obama was on the brink of re-election. 
 
 ___ 
 
 NEW YORK, NEW YORK 
 
 Thanks to early voting, more than 50 million people may have voted before Election Day. Not Clinton or Trump. Both are expected to make a show of trekking to their local polling places on Tuesday, Clinton in Chappaqua, New York, and Trump in New York City. Their running mates — Democrat Tim Kaine of Virginia and Republican Mike Pence of Indiana — will vote where they live, and later team up with their principals in New York. 
 
 ___ 
 
 EARLY TEA LEAVES 
 
 For an early read on how things are going, keep an eye on Virginia in the presidential contest. If Clinton doesn't get a winner's call there by 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., it could be a positive sign for Trump. Watch Indiana for an early indicator in the tug-of-war for control of the Senate; if Evan Bayh can manage a comeback, that'll be a good sign for Democrats hoping to retake the Senate. 
 
 ___ 
 
 EXIT POLL EXPLANATIONS 
 
 Data collected from polling-place interviews with voters will offer a wealth of information to help explain why people voted the way they did. Among the questions to be answered by the exit polls: 
 
 — Do voters cast ballots for their candidates enthusiastically or holding their noses? 
 
 — Do blacks give strong backing to Clinton after recent worries about their turnout in early voting? 
 
 — Who wins college-educated whites, who typically skew Republican but are being courted by Clinton? 
 
 — In a race so often roiled by Trump's comments about women, what does the gender gap look like? 
 
 — Did people care about Clinton's problems with her private email setup? 
 
 — Were they worried about Trump's temperament? 
 
 ___ 
 
 UTAH. REALLY. 
 
 The reddest of the red states actually offers some drama this year. Keep an eye on the Utah vote for independent Evan McMullin, who's been giving Trump heartburn in a state that should be a lock for him. (Polls close at 10 p.m. EST) 
 
 ___ 
 
 MAKING HISTORY 
 
 If Clinton emerges the victor, it will be a historic moment for women as she shatters that "highest, hardest glass ceiling." 
 
 ___ 
 
 THE BIG QUESTION 
 
 The question has been dangling out there: Will Trump accept the results of the presidential election if he loses? "I'll keep you in suspense," he said at the last debate. The world is waiting for his answer. 
 
 ___ 
 
 A TIME TO HEAL 
 
 Election night speeches have "tremendous power to heal," says public speaking coach Ruth Sherman. Will the candidates rise to the moment? After such a long, ugly campaign, both winner and loser will have a responsibility to help to bring the country together. 
 
 ___ 
 
 WAIT, THERE'S MORE! 
 
 The presidential race has sucked up most of the oxygen over the past year, but there will be lots more to take in on election night, with control of the Senate and House at stake, 12 states electing governors, and assorted ballot proposals around the country. 
 
 In the House: Republicans hold a 247-188 majority, including three vacancies. Democrats could pick up 10 or more seats, perhaps even more than 20, but don't expect to take control. 
 
 In the Senate: Republicans are furiously working to protect their 54-46 majority, with a half-dozen races seen as toss-ups. 
 
 A dozen governor's offices also are up for grabs, at least seven appearing competitive. Among issues on ballot proposals: the death penalty, gun control and marijuana legalization. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/ ||||| ADVANCE FOR MONDAY, SEPT. 5 AND THEREAFTER - FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2012 file photo, then-Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gestures as he speaks at a campaign rally... (Associated Press) 
 
 ADVANCE FOR MONDAY, SEPT. 5 AND THEREAFTER - FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2012 file photo, then-Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gestures as he speaks at a campaign rally in Fairfax, Va. Nine weeks out from Election Day, the electoral math favors Democrat Hillary Clinton.... (Associated Press) 
 
 ADVANCE FOR MONDAY, SEPT. 5 AND THEREAFTER - FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2012 file photo, then-Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gestures as he speaks at a campaign rally in Fairfax, Va. Nine weeks out from Election Day, the electoral math favors Democrat Hillary Clinton.... (Associated Press) ADVANCE FOR MONDAY, SEPT. 5 AND THEREAFTER - FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2012 file photo, then-Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gestures as he speaks at a campaign rally... (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — Election Day isn't what it used to be. The presidential winner may be all but known by then, thanks to early voting. 
 
 Beginning Friday, residents in North Carolina can submit absentee mail-in ballots — the first of 37 states and the District Columbia to vote by mail or at polling sites before Nov. 8. Four years ago, about 45.6 million people or 35 percent of the electorate attracted by its convenience voted early, and that number is expected to spike in 2016. 
 
 That's where Hillary Clinton's ground game — at least double the size of Donald Trump's — could make a difference. 
 
 In seven states being targeted by both campaigns — Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, Arizona and Georgia — early votes are expected to make up 45 to 75 percent or more, based on 2012 numbers. All but Colorado are must-win for Trump. 
 
 No votes will be counted until Nov. 8. However, many states report the party affiliation of people who have cast ballots, offering solid clues. 
 
 "We could see so many votes banked that it becomes nearly impossible to catch up," said Michael McDonald, a University of Florida professor and expert in election statistics. 
 
 In 2008, Barack Obama made early voting a priority, amassing such big leads with blacks, Hispanics and first-time voters that he pulled out wins in Florida, Iowa, North Carolina and Colorado despite losing the Election Day vote there, according to elections data compiled by The Associated Press. In 2012, he did it again in Florida and Iowa. 
 
 Hoping to replicate that success, Clinton is spending millions of dollars on a get-out-the vote effort put into place in the spring. It taps into a detailed database to identify likely voters statewide and down to the neighborhood level, using thousands of employees and sending 50,000-some volunteers door to door to register and educate voters. 
 
 Trump, relying heavily on the Republican National Committee, has 133 field offices nationwide and plans to open 24 more over the next two weeks. That's compared with "hundreds" for Clinton. 
 
 Trump's people have been slow to recruit volunteers in battlegrounds such as Iowa. At this point in 2012, Republican nominee Mitt Romney had a full field staff working intensely with the RNC to identify and reach out to early voters. 
 
 RNC officials say they have 1,000 employees and 5,000-plus trained organizers and other volunteers in 11 states assigned to mobilize voters. Heavy focus is on boosting absentee mail-in balloting in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Iowa, using the RNC's own data analytics program. 
 
 Acknowledging an uphill battle in early votes, the RNC says its goal will be to keep pace with Democrats and ensure Election Day will decide the outcome after all. ||||| Brace yourselves: Election Day has begun. 
 
 Some federal write-in absentee ballots, which are typically reserved for people serving dangerous foreign deployments or stints on submarines, have already started to come in. And that trickle of ballots will soon become a flood, with early voting set to begin in several states around the country. 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT 
 
 The first round of early ballots will be dropped in the mail in North Carolina on Friday, kicking off a nearly nine-week sprint of early and absentee voting before the final results are tallied on Nov. 8. 
 
 Alabama elections officials will begin putting ballots in the mail on Sept. 15. By the following week, ballots from all 50 states will be on their way to members of the Armed Services and registered voters living abroad. 
 
 On September 23, voters in Minnesota will be the first with a chance to cast their ballots early, at in-person locations around the state. Polls open in South Dakota and Michigan the following day. By the end of September, voters in seven states will be able to cast ballots in person. 
 
 The popularity of early and absentee voting has exploded in the last decade and a half. In 2000, about one in five voters cast their ballots before Election Day. In 2016, more than a third of voters are likely to cast their ballots early this year, according to Michael McDonald, a political scientist who tracks the early vote at the University of Florida. 
 
 “We’ve been on an upward trend of early voting since really the late 1970s,” McDonald said. “Part of what we see in the upward trend is that more states will offer early voting options.” 
 
 Since the 2012 elections, in which 32 percent of voters cast ballots early, two states have made significant changes that give voters more access to early ballots: New Jersey now allows voters to obtain an absentee ballot without an excuse, four years after Hurricane Sandy shut down voting in some coastal cities. And Colorado now mails ballots to all of their registered voters. 
 
 Early voting can also help voters deal with a longer ballot, especially in states like Washington, California and Oregon where ballot measures can make for hours of reading. 
 
 “This year has a really loaded general election ballot, including a bumper crop of state and local measures, the White House, Congress, most of the legislature, judges and local races,” said Kim Wyman, Washington’s Secretary of State. “It is a lot to ask of our voters, and we’re pleased to have the convenience of vote-by-mail and a generous voting period, as we now think of ‘Election Day’ as being.” 
 
 Those who show up early are almost certainly hardened partisans, setting both parties on a scramble to chase their most likely supporters and bank as many votes as possible. The first to vote tend to be older, highly informed voters who are registered with a party — those likeliest to already know how they are going to vote. Those who show up later are younger, and much less likely to identify with a party. 
 
 Even before the first absentee ballots go out, the first vote has been cast. North Carolina officials said August 26 they had received a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot from Francois Farge, a 51-year old Republican registered to vote in North Carolina but living in France. 
 
 Here’s where voters will get their absentee ballots, and where early voting opens, on the march toward Election Day:
– Determining the fate of the US presidency officially kicks off Friday. North Carolina is the first of 37 states and DC to open up advance balloting so voters can, as the AP puts it, "be done with the 2016 presidential race." North Carolinians can now send in absentee ballots by mail for any reason (they'll be able to cast their vote in person starting Oct. 20). Alabama will be next to follow suit, with ballots mailed out during the week of Sept. 15, per the Hill, and all 50 states will mail out ballots to service members and registered expatriates the week of Sept. 19. Meanwhile, in-person voting will get its start in Minnesota on Sept. 23. Why early voting can be important, other than offering convenience for the voter: These types of ballots make up anywhere between 50% to 75% of the overall votes cast in certain battleground states, including North Carolina, Florida, and Arizona. Plus, decent returns can provide momentum. "If one campaign does significantly better in harvesting early votes, that campaign will have a substantial advantage as Election Day approaches," Paul Gronke, director of the Early Voting Information Center, tells the AP. A University of South Florida political scientist who follows early voting trends tells the Hill that more than a third of voters are expected to go the early route this year. (Check out the Hill for an early-voting calendar.)