More than 50 million Americans have cast early votes in the midterm elections scheduled for 3 November, and the early voting total has now passed 51 million. The University of Florida’s Election Research Center reported that as of 2:30 p.m. local time on 31 October, the total number of early voters nationwide reached 51.31 million. The figure passed 50 million as of 30 October.
The total is nearly 5 million more than the total early votes in the 2022 midterm elections, according to analysis by The Guardian. That comparison matters because it shows voting in this cycle already ahead of the full early vote from four years ago, with Election Day itself still to come.
Traditionally, Republicans tend to vote in person on Election Day rather than during early voting. The Guardian reported that among registered Democratic voters, 10.7 million have voted early, compared with 7.8 million registered Republicans. These numbers reflect data from the states that compile this information, so they cover only part of the national picture.
Early voting totals pass the 2022 mark
The early voting surge has not been confined to one region. State-level figures reported so far point to heavy participation in several large states, and the national total kept climbing through the final days of October. Election officials and campaigns have watched the daily totals closely, since early ballots can change how the final days of a race are fought.
Both major parties are making a final push to rally their supporters ahead of the election. President Donald Trump visited his home state of Florida on 30 October, where thousands of supporters gathered at a rally in Daytona Beach. During the event, Trump called it the most important midterm election in history and pledged to end the war in Iran. Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to campaign in northern New York on 2 November.
Early voting surges in Texas
Despite Texas being a traditionally Republican stronghold, voting numbers have surged in the state during this midterm election. Over 7 million people have already voted early in Texas, which is 1.5 million more than the early voting total from four years ago. The early voting increase in Texas alone accounts for a large share of the national growth since 2022.
In Harris County, which includes Houston, 862,700 people had voted as of 28 October, compared with 564,500 at the same time four years ago. The county-level jump mirrors the statewide pattern, with voters turning out well ahead of Election Day in one of the country’s largest counties.
On the Democratic side, former President Barack Obama visited Morrow, Georgia, on 28 October to support Kisha Lance Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor running for governor. If elected, Bottoms would become the first Black woman to serve as governor of Georgia. Former President Bill Clinton, who served from 1993 to 2001, also campaigned in Mississippi to support Democratic candidates. Clinton stated, “Democracy corrects itself,” while urging support for Senate candidate Scott Colom. Mississippi has been a stronghold for Republicans in the Senate for the past 40 years.
Early voting and the final campaign push
In this election, Democrats are framing the vote as a referendum on the Trump administration, aiming to regain control of both the House and Senate. Republicans are also making every effort to maintain their current majority in the Senate, which stands at 53 to 47. The early voting figures give both parties a partial read on turnout, but they do not settle how Election Day voters will break.
The Associated Press predicts that this election will determine whether the next two years of President Trump’s term will be smooth under a Republican-controlled Congress or challenging under a Democratic majority. With more than 51 million ballots already cast, the contest has already been shaped before most voters have had their say on Election Day itself. Election Day votes will be added to the ballots already cast, and the final total will only be known once those votes are counted and certified.