More Than 50 Million Americans Have Voted Early in U.S. Midterms
More than 50.5 million Americans had cast early ballots by Saturday morning, nearly 5 million more than voted early in the entire 2022 midterm cycle.
More than 50.5 million Americans had cast early ballots by Saturday morning, nearly 5 million more than voted early in the entire 2022 midterm cycle. The surge comes with three days left before Election Day and could shape contests that will decide control of Congress.
The University of Florida Election Lab’s tally covers ballots cast across the country. It does not predict who will win: early-vote totals show participation, while party-registration figures are available only in some states and do not reveal how people voted.
Texas stands out
Texas has recorded more than 5.8 million ballots, about 1.75 million above its total at the same point in 2022. The state has also posted the highest turnout rate above its usual level, according to Mike McDonald, who runs the University of Florida database. Texas is a key battleground in the contest for control of the Senate.
Across the country, early voting has been running at roughly four million to five million ballots a day, a faster pace than in most previous elections. Hispanic communities are also turning out at higher rates than usual, McDonald said.
The national trend points to turnout that could exceed 2020 and possibly 2018. That midterm set a record for overall participation dating back to 1914. But early ballots are not the same as total turnout, and the figures alone cannot settle the outcome.
Party figures offer a limited snapshot
In states that record voters’ party affiliations, 10.7 million registered Democrats had voted by Saturday morning, compared with 7.8 million registered Republicans. Those numbers describe registration, not the choices voters made on their ballots.
North Carolina had passed 2 million early votes by Friday, just over 23% of statewide turnout, as its early-voting period ended Saturday. The total was ahead of the state’s pace at the same point four years earlier. Voters in Raleigh cited concerns including inflation, gas prices, taxes and health care.
High participation is unfolding alongside reports of increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in communities around the country. Wendy Weiser of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School said the administration’s tactics appeared designed to intimidate voters. Early voting, however, has continued to surge.
Election Day is Tuesday. The remaining ballots will add to the early-vote totals, while the closely contested races determine which party controls Congress for the next two years.
