The crush of early voting in Broward and Miami-Dade counties is leaning decidedly to the left, with Democrats lining up at the polls more than three times as often as Republicans, according to Democratic Party numbers.

That trend -- though most pronounced in voter-rich South Florida -- follows throughout Florida, breathing optimism into Democratic candidates and helping balance the decided edge Republicans carry in absentee voting.

During the first four days of early voting, roughly 53 percent of Floridians taking to the polls were registered Democrats, according to figures compiled by the Florida Democratic Party that have not been challenged by the GOP. About 31 percent were registered Republicans.

In South Florida, the early-vote totals have been even more one-sided.

In Broward, 70 percent of early voters were Democrats, 14 percent Republicans and 16 percent Independents, the numbers show. In Miami-Dade, the breakdown was 57 percent Democrat, 25 percent GOP and the rest Independent.

Miami-Dade and Broward together account for about one in five of the state's voters, making the region a key player in determining which way Florida goes on Nov. 4.

Democrats have historically favored early voting, but this year the gap with the GOP has widened. In Florida's 2006 election, Democrats bested Republicans in early voting -- but just barely.

A Florida Secretary of State spokeswoman on Friday declined to confirm the party breakdown of 2008's early-vote numbers, but Democratic officials did not contain their glee.

''South Florida voters have embraced the campaign for change enthusiastically,'' said Alejandro Miyar, a spokesman for Democrat Barack Obama.

Florida Republican spokeswoman Erin VanSickle declined to comment on the new early voting numbers.

Absentee ballots, meanwhile, have gone 51 percent to 35 percent for the Republican Party statewide, evening the overall vote count.

Combining the early votes and absentees statewide, Democrats are ahead by less than one-tenth of a percentage point.

That portends a brutal final 10 days before Nov. 4.

By comparison, Republicans had a 15-point advantage in total absentee and early votes cast after the first four days of early voting in the 2006 midterm election. But by Election Day those leads withered, with the GOP suffering heavy losses nationally, and two South Florida House Republicans losing their seats.

The 2008 figures confirm what private and public polling has indicated: Democrats may be poised for a bigger election year.

Observers credit attraction to the historical presidential race, and a more active Democrat get-out-the-vote effort.

At Miramar City Hall on Friday, elections volunteers said the lines were longer than on any other day this week. The wait: up to five hours.

At the front of the line: Bill Jong-Ebot, a native of Africa, who arrived at the polling place at 7 a.m., three hours before it opened.

He didn't mind the wait.

''People want to be a part of history,'' said Jong-Ebot, a university professor.

Other lines moved far more briskly, even with scores of voters.

Since the start of early voting Monday, turnout has increased each day in both counties, elections officials said.

In Miami-Dade, a total of 60,185 voters cast ballots Monday to Thursday. During that same time, 51,492 people voted early in Broward. The Democratic Party totals included about 3 percent fewer voters the analysis has not yet accounted for.

Some Democrats are grumbling about the Legislature's 2005 decision to scale back early voting hours from 12 to eight per weekday. A Republican-dominated Legislature pushed through the measure.

Multiple Democratic Congress members have formally requested early voting hours be extended, but on Friday Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning said he has no plans to do so.

In the 2004 presidential election, Browning said, voters waited longer during the early voting period than on Election Day.

''Voters have the opportunity to either come back to their early voting site, when the crowds aren't as long,'' said Browning, a Charlie Crist appointee, or ``they have the opportunity to come back to their polling site on Election Day or they can request an absentee ballot be mailed to their home and they can vote in the privacy of their home.''

Miami Herald staff writers Marc Caputo, David Smiley and Mary Ellen Klas contributed to this report.

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