In North Carolina, blacks make up 31 percent of early voters so far, even though they're only 21 percent of the population. Roughly 36 percent of the early voters in Georgia are black, outpacing their 30 percent proportion of the state's population.

In Louisiana, more than 31 percent of the early voters are black, and Democrats are topping Republicans nearly 2-1. In the crucial battleground state of Florida, nearly 55 percent of early voters are registered Democrats -- well above their 41 percent share of the electorate in the Sunshine State.

Republicans caution that it would be a mistake to read too much into the early totals. McCain spokesman Mario Diaz said that the GOP will benefit from high turnout on Election Day and that the party has focused less on early voting than Obama. "We anticipate the support to only intensify by Election Day," he said. ASSOCIATED PRESS