Reply #1: They are the starting off point on Election Day. For example, say 500,000 voted

[yellowdogintexas]

in our county (a high probability) in the early vote. Let's split them equally for simplicity; McC and O each have 250,000 when the polls open on Tuesday. The Election Day numbers are just added in to the Early Vote totals. So if they each get another 200,000 they will each have a total of450,000 at the end of the day.

At least that is the way it is done here. They may be combined with the Election Day totals at the end of the day in some counties but on Saturday we will know how many voted early; just a grand total number though. Then we will know how many voted Tuesday and the sum of those two should equal the total ballots cast in the county. No breakdowns among the candidates are given out until after the polls close and the counties start tabulating.

Absentee is weirder because the rules are must be POSTMARKED by Nov 3 so they don't all get there on Election Day. That is why they are added in last because often they are not all there yet. Absentee ballots that are already in possession of the county may have already been tabulated before Election Day. They have to be crosschecked against the election books so the printouts given to the precincts on Election Day show that person has already voted.