Record 47.9 million Americans have voted early, topping 2022's midterm mark
With four days left before the Nov. 3 midterms, at least 47.9 million Americans had cast ballots early by midday Friday, passing the 45.9 million early votes in 2022, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
More Americans have now voted early than in any previous midterm. The University of Florida's Election Lab counted 47,922,669 early votes by midday Friday, passing the 45.9 million cast before Election Day in 2022, AFP reported. NBC News' separate tracker, which adds up state reports on a different schedule, showed 46.1 million at 1:30 p.m. ET, with 25 million cast in person and 21.1 million by mail. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Where it's running hottest: The rise is sharpest in several states with close Senate races, AFP reported. Texas had more than 6 million early voters by Wednesday, with in-person turnout about 50% ahead of the same point in 2022. Early voting in North Carolina was up nearly 37%. South Carolina passed its entire 2022 early-vote total on Monday. In Kansas, advance ballots were running about two-thirds ahead of 2022.
Who has voted so far: In states that record party registration, registered Democrats made up 43.9% of early voters, registered Republicans 31.3% and voters with no party or a minor party 24.8%, per the Election Lab. The New York Post reported earlier this month that Democrats held early-vote edges in TargetSmart and NBC data, while noting that "none of the data show how people actually voted." Trump has urged supporters to vote early or by mail this year, the Post reported.
Why it matters
Control of the House and Senate for the last two years of President Trump's term will be decided by how many people vote and who they are. University of Florida political scientist Michael McDonald said this week the early numbers suggest overall turnout is shaping up to match 2018, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported. That year's 53% turnout was the highest for a midterm since 1914.
More context
What the evidence shows: An early Democratic lead often shrinks once Election Day ballots are counted. In 2024, Democrats won mail ballots by 24 points, but Republicans won early in-person voting by 14 points and Election Day voting by 16, according to Pew Research Center data cited by ABC News. A new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found people planning to vote in person on Election Day favor Republicans by 11 points. And in Georgia, ABC found habitual voters make up 71% of early voters this year, up from 63% in 2024, a sign that many early ballots come from people who would have voted anyway.
What the numbers can't tell you yet: Party registration does not show which candidates someone picked. Tens of millions more people are expected to vote on Tuesday, and a record early vote does not guarantee record total turnout, since some voters may simply be voting sooner than before, experts told AFP.
Where the races stand: The Cook Political Report moved 12 House races toward Democrats on Friday and rates 18 House races as toss-ups, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported. Cook lists seven Senate toss-ups: Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas. Trump has rescheduled rallies in Iowa and Kansas for Sunday, AP reported.
Sources across the spectrum This story cites right-leaning and left-leaning outlets. Every source is listed below.
7 listed sources
- University of Florida Election Lab, 2026 early voting tracker, updated Oct 30, 2026:
- AFP via Yahoo News, US midterm early voting hits record 48 million, Oct 30, 2026:
- Iowa Capital Dispatch via KWQC, Early voting sets midterms record, Oct 30, 2026:
- NBC News, Tracking the 2026 early vote, Oct 30, 2026:
- ABC News, Early vote shows Democratic enthusiasm high in some key states, but only one piece of puzzle, Oct 2026:
- New York Post, Democrats take edge on mail-in ballots in key midterm races, Oct 17, 2026:
- AP, midterm live updates, Oct 30, 2026:
References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.
Editorial sourcing notes
Early-vote totals come from trackers that add up state reports on different schedules, so they differ: the UF Election Lab showed 47,922,669 at midday ET Friday, while NBC News' tracker showed 46,115,354 at 1:30 p.m. ET. Party shares come from states that record party registration and show who voted, not how they voted. The photo at top is from early voting in New Orleans in 2020, not from this election.
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