Early voting tops 23 million as Democrats outpace Republicans

Georgia turnout already exceeds 40% of 2022 midterm total

More than 23 million Americans had already voted in person or by mail by Friday afternoon, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab, as the 2026 midterm campaign entered its final 11 days. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to reclaim the majority in each chamber of Congress, and tracking of returned ballots shows registered Democrats casting 45% of early votes so far, compared with 30% from Republicans.

The Election Lab’s state-by-state figures, current as of 23 October, put Texas at more than 2.8 million early votes, Florida at almost 2.2 million, Georgia at almost 1.5 million and North Carolina at more than 1.2 million. Michigan and Ohio have each passed 900,000 ballots cast.

Early voting is running well ahead of the comparable point in the last midterm cycle across several battleground states that will decide control of the Senate. Georgia’s early votes already represent more than 40% of the state’s total turnout in 2022, the Election Lab reports, with Texas at 35%, North Carolina at 33% and Florida at 27%. Michigan and Ohio are recording similarly high paces.

Midterms typically favor the party out of power, and this year’s elevated turnout is being driven in part by widespread public frustration over Donald Trump’s handling of the economy, the cost-of-living crisis and the conflict in Iran. The backlash, reflected in the president’s record-low approval ratings, has left Republicans fighting to defend seats in places Trump won by wide margins just two years ago.

The party gap in early returns is especially pronounced in North Carolina, Kansas and Iowa, states that traditionally favor Republicans. Republicans have historically preferred to vote on election day, and strategists worry the widened margin signals a “red undertow” — Republican voters staying home over frustration with high gas prices, the conflict in Iran and sweeping tariffs.

Democrats, by contrast, have been energized by Trump’s growing unpopularity and voter frustration over affordability, and they believe the environment gives them opportunities to flip seats they have not won in decades.

Mail-in balloting is also running ahead of the last midterms. More than 57 million mail-in ballots have been requested or sent nationally, greater than the 52 million requested in 2022, according to NBC News, using data from TargetSmart. The Election Lab puts the number of mail-in ballots requested at more than 59 million.

The continued use of mail-in voting comes despite executive orders from the Trump administration that attempted to restrict the practice. The Supreme Court struck down the orders in September, and voters continue to use the process at pre-pandemic rates.