A record 47.9 million Americans have cast their ballots ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections, surpassing the previous early voting record set in 2022.
Figures from the University of Florida’s Election Lab showed that 47,922,669 votes had been recorded nationwide by midday Friday, October 30, exceeding the previous midterm record of 45.9 million votes cast before Election Day in 2022.
The surge in early voting has been particularly noticeable in states with closely contested Senate races, where the results could determine control of the chamber during the final two years of President Donald Trump’s presidency.
Texas, Carolina Record Significant Turnout
Texas has recorded more than six million early votes as of Wednesday, with in-person participation approximately 50 per cent higher than at the same stage during the 2022 midterm elections.
North Carolina’s election board also reported a nearly 37 per cent increase in early voting compared with the corresponding period four years ago.
South Carolina went further, surpassing its entire 2022 early voting total on Monday, despite having five more days of early voting remaining at the time.
In Kansas, where Republican Senator Roger Marshall faces a challenging re-election contest, advance ballots were approximately two-thirds higher than the figures recorded at the same stage in 2022.
Democrats Outpace Republicans in Early Voting
Data from states that record voters’ party affiliations indicate that registered Democrats account for a larger proportion of early ballots than Republicans.
According to the Election Lab, Democrats represented approximately 44 per cent of early voters in those states, compared with 31 per cent for Republicans and 25 per cent for unaffiliated or minor-party voters.
University of Florida political scientist Michael McDonald, who oversees the Election Lab, also highlighted increased participation among Black and Hispanic voters in states that provide racial and ethnic voting data.
He particularly noted stronger turnout in heavily Hispanic communities along the Texas-Mexico border.
Georgia also recorded a significant milestone, with early in-person voting surpassing the state’s previous midterm record on Thursday.
Women accounted for 56 per cent of ballots cast in Georgia by that day, compared with 44 per cent for men.
“Georgians continue to head to the polls in record numbers because they trust the system,” top elections official Brad Raffensperger said on Thursday.
Record Early Voting Does Not Guarantee Election Victory
Despite the historic figures, election experts have cautioned against interpreting the early voting numbers as an indication of the eventual election outcome.
They noted that party registration does not necessarily reveal which candidates voters support, while tens of millions of Americans are still expected to vote on November 3.
Republicans have also tended to record stronger participation on Election Day in recent elections, potentially narrowing or reversing the Democrats‘ current early voting advantage.
Furthermore, higher early voting figures do not automatically translate into increased overall turnout, as some voters may simply be casting their ballots earlier than they did in previous elections.
The November 3 midterm elections will determine the political balance of power in the US Congress, with both parties seeking to strengthen their positions amid closely watched contests across the country.
