More than 39 million Americans have already cast ballots in the 2026 midterm elections, with five days to go until Election Day on Tuesday, November 3, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab and state-by-state trackers. As of October 29, 38,706,591 ballots had been cast across 47 reporting states — 19,082,086 mail ballots returned and 19,624,505 cast in person — according to On Point Politics, which compiles counts from state and county election offices. Another 29.5 million mail ballots sent or requested had not yet been returned. Reuters, citing the Election Lab, put the total above 39 million.
A partisan split in the early vote — with a warning
In the 25 states that report party registration of early voters, registered Democrats had cast 42.0% of ballots, Republicans 32.0% and independents and third parties 26.0%, according to On Point Politics. Party registration shows who has voted, not how they voted, the tracker stresses. Experts caution against reading too much into early numbers. “It’s important not to overinterpret early voting data because it’s often a poor predictor of final results,” said Michael McDonald, a political science professor at the University of Florida who maintains the Election Lab, according to America Mornings. Early voters lean older and more partisan than Election Day voters, and the mix changes as more ballots arrive.
Where turnout is surging
Early participation has been particularly substantial in Texas and Florida, according to Capitol Times Media. Texas reported about 4.5 million early ballots in the first seven days, while Harris County logged more than 700,000 voters, according to Particle News. Maine, North Carolina and Ohio each recorded increases of more than 30% in early in-person and mail voting compared with the last midterm cycle. All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are on the ballot, alongside gubernatorial elections in 36 states and 58 ballot measures across 24 states, according to AFA Action’s summary of ballot measures.
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