Early Ballots Top 43 Million as Senate State Turnout Climbs

Early voting is running far ahead of 2022 levels in states with competitive Senate races, an AP analysis of voting data shows, raising questions about how ballot access laws and campaign spending are shaping turnout five days before Election Day.

More than 43 million Americans have voted early in person or returned mail ballots, nearly 10 million more than at the same point in 2022. The count spans 47 states and Washington, D.C., compared with 48 states and the capital four years ago.

Texas accounts for a large share of the increase. More than 6.3 million Texans had voted early as of Wednesday, up from 4.2 million at the same point in 2022, a 50% rise. In Harris County, which includes Houston, 862,700 people had voted as of Wednesday, compared with 564,500 at that point in 2022. The county backed Vice President Kamala Harris by nearly 6 percentage points in 2024, and Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred carried it by roughly 11 points over Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.

Other states with competitive Senate races report similar gains. Early voting is up more than 30% from 2022 in Maine, Michigan, North Carolina and Kansas. Maine is up 44%, and Michigan has recorded roughly 409,000 more early votes than in 2022, a 32% increase. Michigan voters approved early in-person voting in November 2022, making this the first midterm in which it is available statewide. Kansas is up 34%, with about 83,000 more ballots than four years ago.

South Carolina shows the sharpest jump, at 83%, as voters choose a successor to the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and a new governor. The state also has open races for governor and U.S. Senate this year.

In states that report voter party affiliation, about 6.8 million Democrats and 5.2 million Republicans have cast early ballots. Those figures do not cover all early voters nationwide or show which candidates received the votes.

The surge arrives as Republicans defend a 53-47 Senate majority and control of the House two years into President Donald Trump's second term. In Texas, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico, while Republican Gov. Greg Abbott seeks reelection against Democrat Gina Hinojosa. Hundreds of millions of dollars have gone into the Texas Senate race, and Trump visited the state earlier this week, his third trip in a month.

In Kansas, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall faces Democratic Methodist megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton. In Maine, Republican Sen. Susan Collins faces Democratic former state Senate President Troy Jackson. Trump won South Carolina by nearly 18 points in 2024.

Texas' two-week early in-person voting period ends Friday, and Election Day falls Nov. 3.