Early voting has surged in the 2026 United States midterm elections with more than 50 million Americans casting their ballots as of Sunday, according to an analysis by the University of Florida.
uncertain
Americans → surge → Florida
Most of the 50 states allow early in-person voting while all of them allow mail-in voting.
asserted
all → allow → voting
About 23 million people voted through mail-in ballots, which President Donald Trump unsuccessfully tried to curb before the elections.
asserted
Trump → vote → elections
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With two days left to go before Election Day on Tuesday, support for Democrats was 51.5 percent and for Republicans 43.1 percent, the latest national polls suggested.
uncertain
polls → reverse → Republicans
The president’s tariff policy and his decision to launch a war with Israel on Iran are hurting his Republican Party.
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policy → launch → Party
Both have been blamed for contributing to a cost-of-living crisis.
asserted
Both → blame → crisis
Why are so many Americans voting early?
asserted
Americans → vote → ?
How does it work?
Here’s what we know:
How many Americans have voted early?
Early voting gives US citizens a chance to cast their ballots before Election Day.
asserted
voting → work → Day
According to the US government, people may vote early in person in most states by visiting designated polling stations.
uncertain
people → accord → stations
All states offer vote-by-mail options, in which registered voters may receive and return ballots by Election Day by mail.
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voters → offer → mail
The number of states offering options to vote in person before November expanded from 24 in 2000 to 47 in 2026, plus Washington, DC.
asserted
number → offer → 2026
But early-voting periods, eligibility requirements and procedures vary widely by state.
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periods → vary → state
This year, out of about 210 million registered voters, 53.14 million had voted early as of 6:56am East Coast time (11:56 GMT) on Sunday , according to the University of Florida analysis.
uncertain
million → register → analysis
This includes 29 million in-person votes and 23 million mail-in ballots.
asserted
This → include → votes
In the 2022 midterm elections, 46 million people had voted early.
asserted
people → vote → elections
Early voting enthusiasm has been higher among Democrats this year with more than 11 million registered Democrats having voted early, compared with about 8 million registered Republicans, according to the university’s analysis.
uncertain
Democrats → register → analysis
Which states have seen a surge in early votes?
asserted
states → see → votes
Early voting has particularly surged in the state of Texas, a key battleground, where more than 7 million people have already voted early.
asserted
people → surge → Texas
This is over 1.5 million more than voted early in the 2022 midterms, according to the University of Florida analysis.
uncertain
This → vote → analysis
According to an Associated Press polling analysis, in South Carolina, where Trump won by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024, early voting has surged 83 percent compared with the same point in 2022.
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voting → accord → 2022
The state has open races for governor and US Senate this year.
asserted
state → have → governor
In Kansas, where Republican Senator Roger Marshall faces Democratic Methodist minister Adam Hamilton, early voting has increased 34 percent with roughly 83,000 more ballots cast than at the same point four years ago, AP reported.
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AP → face → point
In Maine, where Republican Senator Susan Collins faces Democratic former state Senate President Troy Jackson, early voting is up 44 percent.
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voting → face → Jackson
Michigan has also recorded roughly 409,000 more early votes than at the same point in 2022, a 32 percent increase.
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Michigan → record → 2022
Why are people voting early?
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people → vote → ?
According to the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement (CDCE), there are many reasons why Americans are voting early.
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Americans → accord → Democracy
This could be because “some voters find early voting to be more logistically convenient than Election Day voting” or have been “mobilised” to vote early, it said.
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it → find → voting
“Many voters report voting early because of anxiety about the election or a feeling of wanting to ‘get it over with’ or ‘cross it off their list’ as soon as possible,” the CDCE said.
asserted
CDCE → report → list
The centre added that some voters choose to vote early for social or cultural reasons.
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voters → add → reasons
It noted how efforts like “Parties at the Polls” and community celebrations of voting “try to create a more celebratory environment at certain voting locations, especially during early in-person voting”.
asserted
efforts → note → voting
While early turnout figures don’t show which candidates voters have chosen or what the final results will be, Democratic political strategist Celinda Lake told Al Jazeera this past week that many voters were looking for change.
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voters → show → change
“You got a lot of voters who say, ‘I’m going to do a Hail Mary for change, but I hope you do something,’” she said.
asserted
she → got → something
“We all just really want a better future for everyone, especially like the next generation,” one young voter told Al Jazeera.
asserted
voter → want → Jazeera
Another young voter pointed to social media as a reason for the increased interest in the election.
asserted
voter → point → election
Social media and the media have put voting in the limelight,” the voter told Al Jazeera.
asserted
voter → put → Jazeera
What has Trump said about mail-in voting?
asserted
Trump → say → voting
Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on the security of mail-in voting, which enables people to vote early by mail.
asserted
which → cast → mail
Trump, who himself has repeatedly voted by mail, cited debunked claims of widespread election fraud associated with it.
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who → vote → it
Mail-in ballots, which have been in place for decades, have been found to increase voter turnout and currently account for a third of all votes cast in the US.
asserted
which → mail → US
State and county officials in eight states send ballots to the homes of all registered voters, who then mail them back before a deadline.
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who → send → deadline
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
