United States: early voting nears 50 million, a record for a midterm election

Washington — More than 49 million Americans have already voted early, in person or by mail, ahead of Tuesday, November 3's midterm elections, a record for this type of election, according to data from the University of Florida's Election Lab released on Saturday, October 31.

The total surpasses the nearly 46 million early votes cast before Election Day in 2022, the previous record. An Associated Press analysis found nearly 10 million more early ballots than at the same point four years ago.

The surge is especially pronounced in states with closely contested Senate races that could decide control of the chamber during the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency. In Texas, more than six million people had already voted early in the week, with in-person turnout running around 50% ahead of the same stage in 2022. In Georgia, early in-person voting broke the state record on Thursday, and in North Carolina early voting was up nearly 37% compared with four years ago.

In states that report voters' party registration, registered Democrats account for about 44% of early voters, compared with 31% Republicans and 25% unaffiliated or minor-party voters, according to the Election Lab figures. Experts warn, however, that party registration does not reveal who each person voted for, and tens of millions more will vote on Tuesday itself.

At stake are all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate's 100 seats. Early voting ends this Saturday in about 20 states, including Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina, while in others, such as Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, Michigan and Virginia, it runs through Sunday.

The campaign thus enters its final weekend: President Trump, who has led a rally tour over the past month, has no events scheduled for Saturday and returns to the trail on Sunday in Kansas and Iowa, according to Reuters. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from late September and early October found that 76% of voters are confident their ballots will be counted accurately.

Photo: Reuters

Source: Reuters