If you're reading newspapers in the march up to the Election, you've probably noticed the flood of reports about record turnout at early voting sites.

All total, there are 31 states that allow voters to cast their ballots before Election Day, and at this point, the process has begun in nearly all of them. Perhaps as much as a one-third of the electorate will voter early -- double the rate from 2000 and up more than 10 percent from 2004.

And, according to NBC News, in my places, that turnout is benefiting Democrats:

Through Monday in Las Vegas, for example, early ballots were cast by 31,875 registered Democrats and 13,371 registered Republicans, the Clark County registrar said, while in Ohio, Democratic voters outnumbered Republicans by 2-to-1 on Monday. Democratic advantages were also reported in Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina and New Mexico.

Experts expect that turnout will be especially heavy in Florida, where up to 40 percent of the electorate might try to cast their votes.

That enthusiasm might turn out to be a disaster, and with only one group to blame for the trouble -- Republicans in the legislature:

Saying early voting cost too much money with rules that weren't uniform, Republican legislators led a charge three years ago to set new statewide standards limiting the number of polling sites and their hours of operation.

Those revamped rules trimmed early voting from 12 hours per workday to eight.

You read that correctly.

GOP lawmakers actually changed laws in the state to make it harder for citizens to vote, and they did it because it might create a political advantage for their party.

When we talk about new Democratic majorities changing conversations, this is exactly the kind of thing I point to. Yes, Democrats work to promote quality education and improve health care. Yes, Democrats are investing in new kinds of energy and creating new jobs. But we are also in the business of voter protection. We work to erase barriers to the ballot box.

Republicans don't.

In Florida, both parties are raising lots of money for state legislative races. Republicans currently hold majorities of 77-43 in the House and 26-14 in the Senate, and Democrats do not expect to pick up either chamber.

But they are looking to make gains this year:

"I'm cautiously optimistic," is the best state Rep. Franklin Sands, D-Plantation, would say of prospects for bolstering the 43-vote Democratic minority in the House. Sands, who will become minority leader in November, thinks this could be "a change election" nationally, and that could help Democrats in a close race.

If Democrats in the state can cut into Republican majorities, then we might have an opportunity to make a play in next cycle. A number of Republicans will be forced to retire, and that fact will help:

In 2010, there will be 21 Republicans and only four Democrats term-limited out of the House, while eight Republicans and only one Democrat hit the wall in the Senate.

With Florida projected to add two congressional seats after the next census, I would love the opportunity to challenge the GOP for the state before the next round of redistricting.

Sunday brought news of yet another state (Florida) where Democrats are banking new voters at a serious clip:

Democratic voters have out-registered Republicans by a nearly 7-to-1 margin since January.

State totals show Democrats gained a net of 106,508 voters from January through May, compared with 16,686 for the GOP.

As I've said before, new voters flocking to our party is definitely a good thing. Even more so when it's a state like Florida, which is hard to top in terms of political significance in recent history.

But I want to temper expectations a bit. For one, as the Orlando Sentinel reports:

In a state with 10.45 million voters, the new figures didn't significantly change the overall ratio of Democrats to Republicans; the state is still roughly 41 percent Democrat and 37 percent registered Republican, with most of the rest No Party Affiliation.

For another, new voters won't necessarily have a huge impact -- at least when it comes to our legislative races. There might not be a state in the country with a worse map in terms of districts. Democrats picked up 7 seats in the lower chamber last cycle, and we're still down 43/76. Even another unqualified victory like this in November will leave us seriously behind.

That doesn't mean this news isn't welcome or encouraging. It just means we still have a long way to go before a real Democratic agenda gets any traction in the state.