Texas and South Carolina drive record early vote in Senate fights
More than 43 million Americans have cast ballots ahead of the November 3 election, with participation in key swing states far outpacing the 2022 midterm.
By Austin Reed ·
Millions of additional Americans have already cast their votes for the 2026 midterm election, with participation rates in competitive Senate states far exceeding those of the 2022 cycle.
The Associated Press analyzed voting data released five days before Election Day. The figures show that more than 43 million voters across 47 states and Washington, D.C., have voted in person or returned mail ballots. That total is nearly 10 million higher than the count at the same point four years ago.
Texas leads the surge in advance voting. More than 6.3 million Texans had voted early as of Wednesday, a 50% increase over the 4.2 million who participated at the same stage in 2022. Harris County, home to Houston, accounted for a large portion of that total. The county recorded 862,700 early votes, up from 564,500 in 2022.
The increased turnout in Texas coincides with a fiercely contested Senate race. Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico in a contest that has drawn hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign spending. President Donald Trump visited the state earlier this week, marking his third trip to Texas in one month. The state also holds open races for governor, with incumbent Greg Abbott running against Democrat Gina Hinojosa.
Other Senate battlegrounds are also seeing sharp rises in early participation. South Carolina, which is electing a successor to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, reported an 83% jump in early voting compared to 2022. Kansas saw a 34% increase, with roughly 83,000 more ballots cast than four years ago. In that race, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall is challenging Democratic candidate Adam Hamilton.
Michigan and Maine, both hosting competitive Senate contests, recorded double-digit growth. Michigan registered approximately 409,000 more early votes than in 2022, a 32% increase. This is the first midterm election where early in-person voting has been available statewide in Michigan following a 2022 approval. Maine reported a 44% rise in early voting as Republican Sen. Susan Collins faces former state Senate President Troy Jackson.
In states that disclose party affiliation, about 6.8 million Democrats and 5.2 million Republicans have cast early ballots. These numbers do not represent the total early vote nationwide, nor do they indicate candidate preference.
Texas’s two-week early in-person voting period ends Friday. The election will determine control of Congress two years into President Trump’s second term, with Republicans currently holding majorities in both chambers.
