Americans Are Setting Records For Early Voting In The U.S.

30.10.2026, 21:03
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Even Dad asked for a ballot.

There is less than a week left until the U.S. midterm elections, the results of which will determine which party controls Congress for the next two years. More than 43 million Americans have already voted early.

Every day, between four and five million people cast their ballots early—significantly higher numbers than in most previous elections, according to BBC.

According to Professor Mike McDonald, who coordinates the collection of early voting data as part of the University of Florida’s Election Lab project, turnout is particularly high in Texas. More than 5.8 million people have already voted there—1.75 million more than during the same period before the 2022 election. Unusually high turnout is being observed among Spanish-speaking voters.

Texas is the second-most populous U.S. state, where support for Republicans has traditionally been strong. It has now become one of the main battlegrounds in the election: the outcome of the vote could determine which party controls the Senate until the end of Donald Trump’s presidential term.

According to preliminary estimates, overall voter turnout may exceed the figures from 2020 and possibly even those from 2018. In that midterm election, the 1914 record for voter turnout was broken.

In states where voters must declare their party affiliation, early voting indicates increased turnout among Democrats. Republican turnout remains roughly at 2022 levels. As of October 29, 44% of ballots already cast were from Democratic Party supporters, 31.2% from Republicans, and another 24.7% from voters who do not belong to either party.

McDonald also notes an increase in the number of early voters among those who do not identify with either party; however, the available data does not allow us to determine exactly which candidates they voted for.

In North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, voters are required to indicate their race when registering to vote. According to statistics from these states, the number of votes cast by Latinos and African Americans has increased, while turnout among white voters remains roughly at the level seen in the 2022 early voting period. McDonald attributes this to the fact that members of racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to support the Democratic Party, while white voters are more likely to be part of the Republican electoral coalition.

In Texas, voters do not disclose their party affiliation or race. However, indirect data point to a significant increase in voter turnout in a number of counties along the border with Mexico, where more than 90% of the population is Latino. In some of these districts, the number of early voters has already exceeded the total turnout for the entire 2022 election.

The popularity of early voting in the U.S. has grown significantly in recent years. This trend has been driven, in particular, by the COVID-19 pandemic, following which an increasing number of states began offering voters the option to vote early—either in person or by mail.

In the 2020 election, when Americans elected the president and members of Congress, more than two-thirds of all votes were cast early. Half of those were cast by mail.

According to McDonald, voters are now increasingly preferring to vote in person, even if it’s early voting. In addition, they are beginning to mail in their ballots earlier than in previous elections. There is no clear explanation for this change. However, mail-in ballots are more likely to be rejected due to errors in filling them out, and some voters may be concerned about potential disruptions in the U.S. Postal Service.

Some cities have already recorded record early voter turnout. For example, on Thursday, Minneapolis officials reported that the number of early voters in non-presidential elections was the highest in the city’s history.

Early voting will soon come to an end: in several states, it concludes a few days before Election Day, scheduled for Tuesday, November 3.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that even Pope Leo XIV intends to vote. He is still registered to vote in Will County, Illinois. On October 3, the pontiff requested a ballot, Kim Fladhammer, chief of staff to the county clerk, told the Chicago Sun-Times.

If the Pope fills out the ballot and submits it, he will become the first sitting pontiff to participate in a secular political election.

Voting is secret, so it is unknown for whom Leo XIV will vote. However, in the spring, a sharp conflict arose between the Pope and Donald Trump, as well as his administration. Even Italian leaders spoke out in defense of the pontiff against the U.S. president’s criticism.

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