Early voting tops 50.5 million ahead of US midterms
University of Florida analysis cited by The Guardian finds more than 50.5 million early ballots cast, nearly 5 million above the total early vote in the 2022 midterms.
The story in focus
More than 50.5 million Americans had cast early ballots as of Saturday morning, a University of Florida analysis cited by The Guardian found, nearly 5 million more than all early votes in the 2022 midterms. Tuesday's elections will decide control of Congress.
- More than 50.5 million early votes were cast as of Saturday morning, per a University of Florida analysis cited by The Guardian.
- That total is nearly 5 million above the total early vote in the 2022 midterms.
- The Guardian reports 10.7 million registered Democrats and 7.8 million registered Republicans had voted among states that collect party data.
- Texas early voting exceeded 7 million, 1.5 million more than in 2022, per University of Florida data.
- Early voting rose 83% in South Carolina, 44% in Maine, 34% in Kansas and 32% in Michigan compared with 2022, according to AP figures cited by The Guardian.
Ballots cast before election day
More than 50.5 million early votes had been cast nationwide as of Saturday morning, according to a University of Florida analysis cited by The Guardian. That figure already exceeds the total early vote in the 2022 midterms by nearly 5 million, three days before polls close on Tuesday.
Party registration figures from states that compile them show 10.7 million registered Democrats and 7.8 million registered Republicans had voted. The Guardian notes these affiliations do not indicate actual votes cast, and that polling has shown dissatisfaction with Donald Trump's presidency and unusually close races in normally Republican-leaning states.
Where the surge is concentrated
Texas, central to Democratic hopes, has seen more than 7 million early votes, 1.5 million above its 2022 early total, University of Florida data shows. In Harris county, which includes Houston, 862,700 people had voted as of Wednesday, compared with 564,500 at the same point in 2022, according to an Associated Press analysis.
The Guardian reports early voting up 83% in South Carolina, 34% in Kansas, 44% in Maine and 32% in Michigan versus the 2022 midterms, citing the AP. Republicans are defending a 53-47 Senate majority as the expanded battleground map reaches traditionally conservative states. Control of the House and Senate will be decided for the final two years of Trump's second term, with food and gasoline costs, the Iran war and corruption concerns forming the backdrop.
How does the 2026 early vote compare with the 2022 midterms?
More than 50.5 million early votes had been cast as of Saturday morning, per a University of Florida analysis cited by The Guardian, nearly 5 million more than the total early votes in the 2022 midterms.
Sources & further reading
- More than 50m Americans cast ballots in early voting with three days to go before midterms ↗The Guardian
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