US midterms: over 54 million have voted early

Early voting for the United States midterm elections has reached unusually high levels, with data from the Election Lab at the University of Florida showing that more than 54 million Americans had already cast ballots before Election Day on November 3, 2026.

Numbers released on November 1 show that, as of 6:56 a.m. Eastern Time, roughly 53.14 million early votes had been recorded. Of those, about 29 million were cast in person and roughly 23 million were returned by mail, according to the same tally.

Compared with the 2022 midterms, when around 46 million people had voted early by the same point in the cycle, turnout this year has climbed sharply in several states.

State-by-state increases and party registration split

Texas has recorded more than seven million early ballots — some 1.5 million more than at the comparable moment in 2022. South Carolina’s early turnout is up about 83 percent, Kansas shows a 34 percent increase, and Maine has seen a 44 percent rise in early participation.

The Election Lab’s analysis also highlights differences by party registration: more than 11 million registered Democrats had voted early compared with roughly eight million registered Republicans.

Researchers at the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement say voters cite practical reasons for choosing to vote early, while others are responding to targeted campaign outreach. “Some voters find early voting logistically more convenient than voting on Election Day,” the center noted in its explanation.

With control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate at stake, candidates from both major parties continued final campaign activities and rallies in the run-up to the official Election Day on November 3, 2026. Polling released ahead of the vote indicated a competitive Senate fight and a sustained focus on who will win the majority in the House.

Photo: press material from the event