Texas and South Carolina See Massive Early Turnout Surge Ahead of Midterms
More than 43 million Americans have voted early, a jump of nearly 10 million over 2022, with the sharpest increases occurring in states with competitive Senate races.
By Samantha Reed ·
A record number of voters cast ballots before Election Day this year, with participation levels in key Senate races far exceeding the previous midterm cycle. The surge is concentrated in states where the outcome of the 2026 election will determine control of Congress.
Five days before the November election, more than 43 million Americans had voted early in person or returned mail ballots. This total is nearly 10 million higher than the figure recorded at the same point in 2022. The data covers 47 states and Washington, D.C., while the 2022 comparison includes 48 states and the capital.
Texas leads the nation in early voter volume. More than 6.3 million Texans had voted by Wednesday, a 50% increase over the 4.2 million who voted at the same point four years ago. The state's two-week early in-person voting period ends Friday.
The high turnout is visible in Harris County, which includes Houston. As of Wednesday, 862,700 people in the county had cast ballots, compared with 564,500 in 2022. The county has voted Democratic in recent cycles, with Kamala Harris defeating Donald Trump by nearly 6 percentage points in the 2024 presidential contest.
This year, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico in a closely watched Senate race. Republican Governor Greg Abbott seeks reelection against Democrat Gina Hinojosa. President Trump visited Texas earlier this week, marking his third trip to the state in one month.
South Carolina shows the steepest percentage increase in early voting among the battleground states. Turnout is up 83% compared to the same period in 2022. Voters there are choosing a successor to the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, as well as a new governor.
Kansas also sees a sharp rise in participation. Early voting there has increased by 34%, representing roughly 83,000 more ballots than four years ago. Republican Sen. Roger Marshall is running against Democrat Adam Hamilton, a Methodist megachurch pastor.
Michigan and Maine report increases of 32% and 44%, respectively. Michigan has recorded roughly 409,000 more early votes than in 2022. This is the first midterm election where early in-person voting is available statewide in Michigan, a measure voters approved in November 2022.
In states that track party affiliation, about 6.8 million Democrats and 5.2 million Republicans have cast early ballots. These figures do not account for all early voters nationwide or indicate which specific candidates received their votes. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 Senate majority that they are defending in this election.
Source: Daily Breeze
