Early voting surges past 2022 levels in 23 states as 2026 midterms loom
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More than 54 million voters have already cast early ballots, pushing turnout close to 2022 levels and above that mark in 23 states as the 2026 midterm elections draw near.
Early voting has wrapped up in many states as the 2026 midterm elections approach, with the University of Florida Election Lab reporting that 54.5 million voters have already cast ballots in person or by mail. The figure is nearly the total early-voting count recorded in the 2022 midterms and stands at about half of the overall expected vote total.
Twenty-three states, including Texas, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina, have already surpassed their 2022 early-voting totals. In Texas, early ballots are more than 138% of the 2022 level, with roughly 7.7 million cast in person. Georgia has recorded over 2.8 million early votes, about 71% of its 2022 total, while Tennessee and North Carolina have reached 73% and 74% of their prior early-voting counts, respectively.
Competitive races are drawing attention. In Ohio, more than 1.6 million early votes have been cast, surpassing the 1.2 million recorded in 2022, as Republican former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Democratic former state health director Amy Acton vie for the open governor’s seat. Michigan reports about 1.8 million early voters, roughly 99% of its 2022 early-voting tally.
The Get the Facts Data Team continues to monitor early-voting trends, noting that early-voting data do not indicate final election outcomes and that some states report voters’ party affiliation.