Facts
- Early voting is ‘significantly outpacing’ the last midterm election, according to an Associated Press analysis published October 30, 2026, via PBS NewsHour. More than 43 million Americans had voted early in person or returned mail ballots, nearly 10 million more than in 2022.
- In Texas, more than 6.3 million people had voted early as of Wednesday, compared with 4.2 million at the same point four years ago, an increase of about 50%.
- Advance voting is up more than 30% from four years ago in the competitive Senate states of Maine, Michigan, North Carolina and Kansas. In South Carolina, where voters are choosing a successor to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, early voting is up 83%.
- In states that report party affiliation, about 6.8 million Democrats and 5.2 million Republicans have voted early. The AP cautioned that these figures do not include all early voters nationwide and do not show which candidates people chose.
- The data covers 47 states and Washington, D.C., compared with 48 states and D.C. four years ago, so the comparison is not exact.
- Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Source Read the Associated Press analysis on PBS NewsHour here.
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