Early voting numbers 2026: How many have already voted, and where

With nine days left before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, tens of millions of Americans have already cast their ballots. Early voting is now open in a majority of states, including New York and Michigan, which began their in-person periods on Saturday. Here is what the latest early-voting numbers show, where they come from, and how to read them without over-reading them.

How many people have already voted?

As of 5:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 25, NBC News' early-vote tracker counted 26,974,129 ballots cast nationwide. About 14.3 million were mail ballots and about 12.6 million were cast in person. NBC said about 57.8 million mail ballots had been requested by or sent to voters.

Other trackers show slightly different totals because they collect state data on different schedules. On Point Politics, which draws on civicAPI data, listed 25,755,068 ballots in 46 reporting states as of Saturday. The University of Florida Election Lab, led by political scientist Michael McDonald, publishes a widely cited state-by-state tracker for 2026. Differences of a million ballots or so between trackers usually reflect reporting delays, not conflicting counts. NewsCubby uses NBC's figure as its national benchmark because it lists a precise update time, and we note when other trackers differ.

Is turnout higher than in 2022?

So far, yes, by a wide margin. The Hill reported this week that more than 23 million Americans had voted, compared with just over 15 million at a similar point in the 2022 midterms. Citing a New York Times analysis of data through Thursday, The Hill said early ballots were up about 69% in Kansas, 41% in Maine and 24% in Iowa compared with the same point four years ago.

A faster start does not always mean higher final turnout. In recent elections, more voters have shifted from Election Day to early voting, so early totals partly reflect a change in when people vote rather than how many vote. Election analysts quoted by The Hill cautioned against drawing firm conclusions from early numbers.

What do the numbers show in key states?

**Georgia.** Early in-person voting began on Oct. 13. Saturday, Oct. 24, was the second and final statewide Saturday voting day, according to the state's official calendar on georgia.gov. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told FOX 5 Atlanta on Oct. 21 that 1,199,744 Georgians had voted at that point, a pace he put at roughly 8% to 10% ahead of 2022. By Oct. 23, Vote GA, a site that compiles state turnout files, put the total at 1,632,975, or about 21.7% of active voters. Georgia has competitive races for both the U.S. Senate and governor. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Republican officials are worried about lagging early turnout in rural areas.

**Texas.** More than 2 million Texans had voted by Thursday, Oct. 22, four days into the early-voting period, Spectrum News reported. In-person totals included more than 384,000 in Harris County, more than 248,000 in Dallas County, nearly 177,000 in Bexar County and more than 158,000 in Travis County. Those county numbers don't include mail ballots. Harris County set a first-day turnout record for a midterm, with more than 104,000 voters on Monday. Statewide, 3,704,955 Texans had voted through Friday, Oct. 23, including 182,007 by mail, according to Texas secretary of state data compiled by Transparency USA; 243 of 254 counties had reported. Early voting in Texas runs through Friday, Oct. 30.

**North Carolina.** More than 1.2 million North Carolinians had cast early ballots, up about 37% from the same point in 2022, according to Catawba College political scientist Michael Bitzer, as cited by The Hill.

**Michigan.** Statewide early in-person voting began Saturday and runs through Sunday, Nov. 1. On Saturday, Barack Obama campaigned in Detroit for Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson. As of Thursday, Oct. 22, 920,762 Michigan voters had cast ballots, 918,832 of them absentee ballots and 1,930 at early-voting sites, MLive reported, citing the Michigan Department of State's voting dashboard.

**New York.** Early voting began Saturday and ends Sunday, Nov. 1, ABC News reported. New Yorkers are choosing a governor and attorney general and voting in several competitive House races, including the 17th District in the Hudson Valley.

**Ohio.** Ohio has no early-voting session on Sunday, Oct. 25. The next session is Monday, Oct. 26, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., as NewsCubby reported in its weekend guide.

**Florida.** Some counties hold early voting this Sunday. In Broward County, sites are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Counties set their own schedules within state rules, so check your county supervisor of elections.

For hours and deadlines in these states this weekend, see our guide: Early-voting weekend: what is open Sunday and what expires today.

Who is voting early: Democrats or Republicans?

NBC News' tracker estimated that, among ballots cast so far, 47% came from registered Democrats, 35% from registered Republicans and 18% from other voters. Those numbers combine party registration from states that track it with modeled estimates from the data firm TargetSmart for states that don't.

These figures need careful reading:

- **Party registration is not a vote.** A registered Democrat can vote for a Republican, and vice versa. Millions of voters are unaffiliated, and early-vote data can't show how they voted. - **Timing habits differ by party.** Since 2020, Republican voters have been more likely to vote on Election Day, though party leaders have pushed early voting more in recent cycles. A Democratic edge in early ballots can shrink on Election Day. - **Ballots aren't counted yet.** These numbers show ballots received or cast, not results. States release results only after the polls close, under their own rules.

In short, early-vote data tells us how many people have voted, and roughly which voters, but not who they voted for.

Why do the numbers keep changing?

Counties report to states, and states report to trackers, on different schedules. Some states update daily, some weekly, and a few don't publish party data. Mail ballots are counted as "cast" when they are returned and logged, which can lag by days. That's why NewsCubby lists an "as of" time for every figure and names its source.

What's driving voters this year?

Two recent surveys pointed to living costs, corruption and the war with Iran as major concerns for midterm voters. Because the surveys asked different questions of different groups, they can't be combined into a single national ranking. NewsCubby explained both here: What is driving the midterms: living costs, corruption and the Iran war.

How to vote early, or check your mail ballot

- **Find your options:** vote.gov links to every state's election office, including early-voting locations and hours. - **Bring what's required:** ID rules vary by state. Check before you go. - **Mail ballots:** many states let you track your ballot online. Return deadlines differ, and several states require ballots to arrive by Election Day, so mail early or use a drop box where available. - **If you're in line when the polls close, stay in line.** In general, you will still be allowed to vote.

NewsCubby will update these numbers as states release new data through Election Day.

*Credit: data and reporting from NBC News, The Hill (citing a New York Times analysis and Catawba College's Michael Bitzer), FOX 5 Atlanta, Vote GA, georgia.gov, Spectrum News, ABC News, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, On Point Politics/civicAPI and the University of Florida Election Lab. NewsCubby articles are AI-assisted and reviewed by people.*