After the first full week, the early voting totals this year for the Top 15 counties is nearly double what it was in 2000 after a week. And it's not just the big counties, either - it's all across the state. And in other states, too.

What does that mean? Conventional wisdom is that high turnout generally benefits Democrats. I've already given my reasons for why I think a high turnout in Texas will mean a better showing for Kerry than for Gore. Since Texas' 34 electoral votes are not in doubt, the more interesting question is what effect this will have on the Congressional and State House races. Travis County's strong showing so far has got to make backers of Kelly White and Mark Strama feel good. Beyond that, I just don't know.

Early voting runs through Friday, with all sites open from 7 AM to 7 PM. After that, it's Tuesday or nothing. Don't miss out!