Early Voting Surges in Key States as Voters Line Up to Shape 2026 Midterms
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More than 41 million people have already voted early, with Texas, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina posting especially strong turnout as Election Day nears and key races intensify.
Washington — With Election Day less than a week away, the University of Florida Election Lab reports that over 41 million voters have already cast early ballots, either in person or by mail. The lab, which has tracked early voting since 2008, says this figure represents more than one-third of the total votes cast in the 2022 midterm election, underscoring how many Americans are choosing to participate before Election Day itself.
Texas leads with early votes accounting for over 70% of its 2022 turnout, despite the state requiring an excuse for mail voting. About 5.6 million ballots have been cast in person. Georgia follows, with more than two million early ballots, roughly 58% of its 2022 midterm turnout, as the state heads into hard-fought Senate and governor races that could shape the political direction of the state.
Tennessee and North Carolina also show high early-voting participation, representing 58% and 56% of their respective 2022 turnouts. In Ohio, more than one million early votes—about 31% of the 2022 total—have been recorded as the gubernatorial and Senate contests are deemed competitive by the Cook Political Report.
Michigan reports about 1.5 million early voters, with more than 80% of those votes cast by mail, reflecting the state's allowance for both in-person and mail early voting and the broad public push to make participation easier ahead of the election.