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By Jordan King
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Registered Democrats have a big lead over registered Republicans in early votes cast for the midterm elections, with more than 60.3 million total early votes reported across the country.
Some 32,475,167 in-person votes had taken place while 27,843,980 mail ballots had been returned as of 2:16 p.m. ET on Tuesday, according to the University of Florida Election Lab. Newsweek has mapped these out, showing a snapshot of participation ahead of Election Day voting.
Out of the 27 states reporting party registration figures, 12,699,997 registered Democrats had voted early by this point, accounting for 42.9 percent of the total, compared with 9,288,009 registered Republicans (31.4 percent).
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This party affiliation does not indicate which candidates these voters supported. This Democratic lead follows a trend for the party since 2020.
The previous record of 45.9 million early votes set during the 2022 midterms was already surpassed by Friday evening, when 49.6 million had been cast.
America’s most populous states, Texas, California and Florida, reported the highest numbers of early votes, with 7,736,594, 7,132,379 and 5,475,004, respectively. Meanwhile, Wyoming reported the smallest early voting total (65,264) followed by South Dakota (81,367) and Alaska (99,424).
Several battleground states also show significant voting numbers—Georgia (2.8 million), Michigan (2.4 million), North Carolina (2.8 million) and Ohio (1.7 million).
The Politics of Early Voting and How it’s Changing
As of 2026, 47 states and Washington, D.C., allow early voting. Alabama, Mississippi and New Hampshire are the only three states that do not allow the practice.
Analysis by the Associated Press reveals a significant jump in the number of people using early voting in Texas, which saw a 50 percent increase compared with last year. Maine, Michigan, North Carolina and Kansas have also seen advance voting jump by more than 30 percent.
Both parties have encouraged people to vote early this year.
President Donald Trump has historically spoken out against early voting by mail and pursued restrictions on it, arguing that the method is vulnerable to fraud and consistently blaming the method of voting for his loss to Joe Biden in 2020. No audit or investigation has offered evidence to back those claims.
Despite this, Trump has encouraged supporters to vote early by any method available for the midterms, including by mail, telling reporters early last month, “We seem to have no choice because a lot of people want to vote by mail, but a lot of very good people also want to vote in-person.” The White House launched an “avoid the wait” page, helping people find where and when they could cast ballots early.
Meanwhile, Democrats, who are hoping to regain control of Congress, have long urged people to vote early—their official 2026 voting guide encourages Americans to make an advance “plan to vote early.” They argue that advance voting, and the way it enables people to avoid Election Day queues, makes it easier for more people to participate in elections.
State-by-State Breakdown
Below are early voting totals for each state, broken down by party affiliation where that information is available (only 27 states share this). The “none/minor” category is what the University of Florida Election Lab uses to refer to its combined total of unaffiliated and minor-party voters.
Texas
Total: 7,736,594 early votes: 7,466,245 in-person and 270,349 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 2
No party registration breakdown is available.
California
Total: 7,132,379 early votes: 479,207 in-person and 6,653,172 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 3,297,382 Democrats, 1,786,444 Republicans and 1,398,136 None/Minor.
UF notes that its party figures do not cover the full statewide total.
Florida
Total: 5,475,004 early votes: 3,467,812 in-person and 2,007,192 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 2,069,165 Democrats, 2,197,862 Republicans and 1,207,977 None/Minor.
Georgia
Total: 2,834,893 early votes: 2,705,120 in-person and 129,773 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
No party registration breakdown is available.
North Carolina
Total: 2,828,288 early votes: 2,728,268 in-person and 100,020 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 1,085,329 Democrats, 738,750 Republicans and 1,004,209 None/Minor.
Michigan
Total: 2,444,449 early votes: 698,546 in-person and 1,745,903 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
No party registration breakdown is available.
UF estimates the in-person figure using mail ballot application data.
New York
Total: 2,110,908 early votes: 1,965,043 in-person and 145,865 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 2
No party registration breakdown is available.
UF notes that the mail ballot count is incomplete, with figures unavailable from 13 of 62 counties.
Washington
Total: 1,992,533 early votes, all listed in UF’s returned-mail category. No separate in-person total is shown.
State reporting date: November 2
No party registration breakdown is available.
Colorado
Total: 1,899,759 early votes: 50,976 in-person and 1,848,783 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 572,642 Democrats, 467,376 Republicans and 859,741 None/Minor.
Illinois
Total: 1,833,368 early votes: 1,122,472 in-person and 710,896 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
No party registration breakdown is available.
Ohio
Total: 1,753,509 early votes: 1,106,420 in-person and 647,089 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
No party registration breakdown is available.
UF approximates in-person voting by identifying ballots sent and received on the same day.
Arizona
Total: 1,648,197 early votes, all listed in UF’s returned-mail category. No separate in-person total is shown.
State reporting date: November 2
Party registration breakdown: 613,185 Democrats, 625,143 Republicans and 409,869 None/Minor.
Virginia
Total: 1,644,509 early votes: 1,313,198 in-person and 331,311 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
No party registration breakdown is available.
Oregon
Total: 1,505,694 early votes, all listed in UF’s returned-mail category. No separate in-person total is shown.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 612,415 Democrats, 462,306 Republicans and 430,973 None/Minor.
Tennessee
Total: 1,280,642 early votes, covering in-person voting only.
State reporting date: October 30
No party registration breakdown is available.
UF says mail ballot figures were unavailable.
New Jersey
Total: 1,240,049 early votes: 642,644 in-person and 597,405 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 703,548 Democrats, 293,062 Republicans and 243,439 None/Minor.
Massachusetts
Total: 1,161,295 early votes: 347,336 in-person and 813,959 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 2
No party registration breakdown is available.
Pennsylvania
Total: 1,115,994 early votes, all listed in UF’s returned-mail category. No separate in-person total is shown.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 719,554 Democrats, 280,632 Republicans and 115,808 None/Minor.
South Carolina
Total: 1,086,338 early votes: 1,043,810 in-person and 42,528 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
No party registration breakdown is available.
Maryland
Total: 1,021,813 early votes: 604,396 in-person and 417,417 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 654,431 Democrats, 211,580 Republicans and 155,802 None/Minor.
Minnesota
Total: 886,427 early votes: 619,847 in-person and 266,580 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 2
No party registration breakdown is available.
Indiana
Total: 884,186 early votes, all listed in UF’s returned-mail category. No separate in-person total is shown.
State reporting date: November 3
No party registration breakdown is available.
Wisconsin
Total: 796,607 early votes: 465,291 in-person and 331,316 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
No party registration breakdown is available.
Nevada
Total: 767,886 early votes: 322,681 in-person and 445,205 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 300,466 Democrats, 259,548 Republicans and 207,872 None/Minor.
Arkansas
Total: 612,987 early votes: 602,686 in-person and 10,301 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 37,238 Democrats, 55,699 Republicans and 520,050 None/Minor.
Utah
Total: 583,623 early votes: 13,689 in-person and 569,934 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 115,065 Democrats, 306,601 Republicans and 161,957 None/Minor.
Louisiana
Total: 535,957 early votes: 448,585 in-person and 87,372 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 228,776 Democrats, 210,036 Republicans and 97,145 None/Minor.
Connecticut
Total: 513,279 early votes: 455,016 in-person and 58,263 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 245,961 Democrats, 99,640 Republicans and 167,678 None/Minor.
Kansas
Total: 505,641 early votes: 419,839 in-person and 85,802 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 202,784 Democrats, 221,086 Republicans and 81,771 None/Minor.
Iowa
Total: 498,713 early votes: 344,986 in-person and 153,727 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 224,625 Democrats, 171,130 Republicans and 102,958 None/Minor.
New Mexico
Total: 459,897 early votes: 385,170 in-person and 74,727 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 237,259 Democrats, 142,380 Republicans and 80,258 None/Minor.
Kentucky
Total: 438,602 early votes: 390,736 in-person and 47,866 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 2
Party registration breakdown: 212,561 Democrats, 194,767 Republicans and 31,274 None/Minor.
Montana
Total: 331,826 early votes, all listed in UF’s returned-mail category. No separate in-person total is shown.
State reporting date: November 3
No party registration breakdown is available.
Maine
Total: 300,491 early votes, all listed in UF’s returned-mail category. No separate in-person total is shown.
State reporting date: November 2
Party registration breakdown: 140,212 Democrats, 68,886 Republicans and 91,393 None/Minor.
Hawaii
Total: 290,606 early votes: 7,940 in-person and 282,666 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
No party registration breakdown is available.
Idaho
Total: 264,651 early votes: 145,550 in-person and 119,101 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown, covering mail ballots only: 22,518 Democrats, 72,474 Republicans and 24,109 None/Minor.
No party registration breakdown is available for in-person voting.
Nebraska
Total: 261,816 early votes: 53,759 in-person and 208,057 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 97,684 Democrats, 118,216 Republicans and 45,916 None/Minor.
Missouri
Total: 260,656 early votes: 226,882 in-person and 33,774 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: October 29
No party registration breakdown is available.
Oklahoma
Total: 231,090 early votes: 186,488 in-person and 44,602 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 3
Party registration breakdown: 90,337 Democrats, 109,672 Republicans and 31,081 None/Minor.
Vermont
Total: 171,730 early votes, all listed in UF’s returned-mail category. No separate in-person total is shown.
State reporting date: November 2
No party registration breakdown is available.
Delaware
Total: 148,738 early votes, all listed in UF’s returned-mail category. No separate in-person total is shown.
State reporting date: November 2
Party registration breakdown: 78,756 Democrats, 41,148 Republicans and 28,834 None/Minor.
Rhode Island
Total: 138,314 early votes: 112,046 in-person and 26,268 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 2
Party registration breakdown: 59,014 Democrats, 13,964 Republicans and 65,336 None/Minor.
Mississippi
Total: 116,453 early votes, all listed in UF’s returned-mail category. No separate in-person total is shown.
State reporting date: November 2
No party registration breakdown is available.
West Virginia
Total: 114,391 early votes: 109,902 in-person and 4,489 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: October 29
Party registration breakdown: 44,638 Democrats, 46,632 Republicans and 23,121 None/Minor.
District of Columbia
Total: 111,150 early votes: 27,118 in-person and 84,032 returned mail ballots.
Reporting date: November 2
No party registration breakdown is available.
North Dakota
Total: 101,160 early votes: 50,489 in-person and 50,671 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 2
No party registration breakdown is available.
Alaska
Total: 99,424 early votes: 64,332 in-person and 35,092 returned mail ballots.
State reporting date: November 2
No party registration breakdown is available.
South Dakota
Total: 81,367 early votes, all listed in UF’s returned-mail category. No separate in-person total is shown.
State reporting date: November 2
Party registration breakdown: 23,476 Democrats, 43,754 Republicans and 14,137 None/Minor.
Wyoming
Total: 65,264 early votes, all listed in UF’s returned-mail category. No separate in-person total is shown.
State reporting date: November 2
Party registration breakdown: 10,976 Democrats, 49,221 Republicans and 5,067 None/Minor.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Robinson and Geoffrey Rowland.
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