Early voting is surging ahead of this year’s midterm elections on Nov. 3, with more than 54 million Americans – 8 million more than in 2022 – having cast ballots before Election Day, according to the University of Florida Election Lab.
About 45.9 million early votes were recorded ahead of Election Day in the 2022 midterm elections. Early votes are ballots cast in person and mailed-in ballots returned before Election Day.
Midterm elections determine partisan control of the U.S. House and Senate, both of which are currently held by Republicans. However, while the increase in early voting indicates higher voter interest, it does not predict which party will take charge of Congress. That depends on total results from individual districts and states.
States with competitive Senate races, including Texas, Maine and Kansas, are showing large increases in early voting, according to a recent Associated Press analysis. South Carolina and North Carolina are also recording more early voting numbers than in 2022.
Early votes as a percentage of total votes cast in 2022
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Numbers of early votes are recorded by the university election lab's continuously updated tracker. Some states do not report voting numbers daily, so vote counts can lag behind actual early voting activity.
Elections are primarily operated by state and local jurisdictions, which have different reporting methods. Those differences make precise comparisons of early-voting trends difficult.
Comparisons can be made among states that report comparable information, including political affiliation, age and ethnicity.
Early voters by party registration
In the 27 states that report party affiliation, Democrats have turned out for early voting in higher numbers than Republicans or non-affiliates.
Early voters by age range
In the 14 states that report voting by age, people over age 40 have cast more than 80% of early votes recorded.
Early voters by race and ethnicity
In the four states that report voting by race and ethnicity, White people have cast more early votes than other ethnicities.
Early voters by gender
In the eight states that report voting numbers by gender, women have cast more early votes than men.
Source: USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; University of Florida's Election Lab
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Early voting surges past 54 million, topping 2022 midterm total
