Research positions at universities with close date a year from now?

Hi there, I'm currently looking for a research position at universities near me. There are some that have been posted recently with the close date for applications being in 2020. There are also some positions that have been posted in 2018 and are "open until filled." Does this mean the research positions with a closing date of 2020 do not start until 2020? Also, is there any point to applying to the positions posted in 2018?

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Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

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