Midterm early voting is running well ahead of past years, with Election Day on November 3. More than 27 million ballots had been cast in 46 states by October 25, according to the Call the Map tracker. Texas leads the count, and some big counties report record turnout. Here is what the numbers show, and what they cannot tell you yet.
Key facts (as of October 2026)
- Call the Map counted 27,027,006 early ballots in 46 states as of October 25, 2026, at 8:32 p.m. ET.
- Texas had about 4.16 million early votes through October 24, the most of any state on that tracker.
- An ABC News analysis found Democrats’ share of early ballots was higher than in 2024 in most states it studied, but warned that Republicans tend to vote on Election Day.
US midterms: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
How many ballots has midterm early voting produced so far?
The total is climbing fast. On October 22, the University of Florida's Election Lab put the count at more than 18 million, ABC News reported. Three days later, Call the Map's tracker showed just over 27 million.
For a rough comparison, CBS News counted a little over 7.5 million early ballots 15 days before the 2022 midterms. The calendars are not identical, so treat that as a sense of scale rather than an exact match. Still, the gap is wide.
| State | Early ballots cast | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 4.16 million | Oct 24 |
| California | 3.13 million | Oct 24 |
| Florida | 2.78 million | Oct 25 |
| Georgia | 1.75 million | Oct 24 |
| North Carolina | 1.54 million | Oct 24 |
Figures are from Call the Map, which updates each state only when that state posts a new file.
Where is midterm early voting breaking records?
Harris County, home to Houston, is the standout. It logged 104,659 in-person votes on the first day, a record for a midterm, ABC13 Houston reported. After two days, 204,570 people had voted in person there. The previous high at that point in a midterm was 127,969, set in 2018.
Nearby counties also jumped. For example, Brazoria County saw more than 27,000 in-person votes in its first two days, compared with just over 14,000 at the same point in 2022. Across Texas, 911,468 people had voted after two days, or about 4.8% of registered voters. Texas early voting runs until October 30.
What does midterm early voting tell us about the result?
It shows who is voting early, not who will win. Both parties can read the numbers in their favor, and the evidence supports parts of each case.
On one hand, ABC News found that registered and modeled Democrats made up a larger share of early ballots than in 2024 in every state it examined except Alaska and Michigan, where the share was similar. In Georgia and Iowa, Democrats' share of early and absentee ballots also rose. Polls point the same way on enthusiasm: 72% of Democratic voters and 65% of Republican voters told an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll they were certain to vote.
On the other hand, Republicans have relied more on Election Day voting in recent cycles. In that same poll, people planning to vote in person on November 3 favored Republicans by 11 points. Meanwhile, those who had already mailed a ballot favored Democrats by 50 points. So an early edge can shrink once Election Day votes are counted.
Who is voting early this year?
Mostly habitual voters. In ABC News' analysis, people who had voted in every recent general election made up 71% of early ballots, up from 63% in 2024. In Michigan, only about 1.3% of early voters were new or returning after a long gap.
That matters because high-turnout voters would likely show up anyway. In other words, heavy early voting may reflect a shift in when people vote, not only how many. ABC News called the early vote "only one piece of the story."
The forecasts take some of this into account. See our 2026 election forecast hub for the current House and Senate odds.
How to watch election night live
Results start after 6 p.m. Eastern on November 3, when the first polls close. Our guide to watching the midterm results live compares the networks and free streams. For full results coverage without commentary, try the C-SPAN live stream, or check the NewsNation stream. Watching from Britain or Europe? See our guide to following the US midterms from the UK and Europe.
See also: what the national generic ballot averages show.
Coming soon: the NewsLive streaming app. We're building one subscription for live international news on Android, Roku, Fire TV and desktop. The service is under development — follow NewsLive for launch updates.
Frequently asked questions
Does midterm early voting favor Democrats?
Not on its own. In 2024, mail ballots leaned Democratic, while early in-person and Election Day votes leaned Republican, according to a Pew survey cited by ABC News. So early totals alone do not predict the final result.
Are early votes counted first?
It varies by state. Many states can process mail ballots before Election Day and report them soon after polls close, while others start later. That is why early returns can swing.
When does early voting end in Texas?
Texas early voting runs from October 19 through October 30, 2026. After that, Texans vote at the polls on November 3. More explainers are in our Elections section.
