Early Voting Surges Past Midterm Rates in Key Senate Battlegrounds
Early voting for the 2026 midterm elections is significantly outpacing participation from the previous midterm cycle, driven by sharp increases in states hosting competitive Senate races just five days before Election Day, according to an Associated Press analysis of voting data.
- More than 43 million Americans have cast early ballots across 47 states and Washington, D.C., representing an increase of nearly 10 million more voters than at the exact same point in 2022.
- Texas has recorded over 6.3 million early votes as of Wednesday, marking a 50 percent surge compared to the 4.2 million recorded at this juncture four years ago.
- In party-tracking states, approximately 6.8 million Democrats and 5.2 million Republicans have participated early, though these figures do not indicate specific candidate choices.
Early Voting Surges Across Senate Battleground States
Nationwide advance voting figures cover 47 states and Washington, D.C., compared with 48 states and the nation’s capital at this point in 2022. The expanding battleground map features heightened turnout in states historically favoring Republicans as control of Congress hangs in the balance two years into President Donald Trump’s second term, with Republicans currently holding the House and the Senate.
In South Carolina, where voters are choosing a successor to the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham following a presidential contest where Trump won by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024, early voting has climbed 83 percent. Kansas reports a 34 percent increase in advance ballots cast, where Republican Sen. Roger Marshall faces Democratic Methodist megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton. Additional competitive Senate battlegrounds show similar trajectories, with advance voting up 44 percent in Maine and 32 percent in Michigan.
Texas Turnout Breaks Previous Midterm Records
The turnout expansion is particularly prominent in Texas during the state’s two-week early in-person voting period closing on Friday. Harris County—encompassing Houston—logged 862,700 early ballots by Wednesday, compared to 564,500 at the same stage in 2022. The county previously favored Democratic candidates in 2024, when Vice President Kamala Harris defeated Trump by nearly 6 percentage points and Senate candidate Colin Allred outpaced Republican Sen. Ted Cruz by roughly 11 percentage points.
The current Texas ballot features a high-profile Senate contest between Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, alongside a gubernatorial reelection campaign pairing Republican Gov. Greg Abbott against Democrat Gina Hinojosa. Hundreds of millions of dollars have flooded the state as Republicans seek to defend a stronghold where Democrats have not won a statewide election in more than thirty years. President Trump completed his third trip to Texas in a single month earlier this week.
Comparison of 2022 and 2026 Early Voting Metrics
| State or Jurisdiction | 2026 Early Voting Figure | 2022 Comparison Metric | Percentage Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas (Statewide) | More than 6.3 million (as of Wednesday) | 4.2 million | +50% |
| Harris County, Texas | 862,700 (as of Wednesday) | 564,500 | Not reported |
| South Carolina | Not quantified as a raw total | Baseline comparison | +83% |
| Maine | Not quantified as a raw total | Baseline comparison | +44% |
| Michigan | +409,000 additional votes | Baseline comparison | +32% |
| Kansas | +83,000 additional ballots | Baseline comparison | +34% |
State-level administrative rules continue to shape participation timelines, as demonstrated in Michigan, where voters approved early in-person voting in November 2022, making this the first midterm election in which it is available statewide.