Early voting is surging in several key battleground states, giving Democrats hope that their strength in midterm polling could translate into a turnout advantage in November.

In North Carolina, more than 1.2 million early ballots have been accepted, a 37 percent increase from the same point leading up to the 2022 midterms, according to an analysis released Friday by Catawba College political scientist Michael Bitzer.

That growth — which includes both in-person and mail-in ballots — has been driven by a 47 percent increase among registered Democrats and a 60 percent increase in participation among unaffiliated voters. Early voting among Republicans is up 2.6 percent.

Similar patterns are emerging elsewhere, with high turnout especially pronounced in historically Republican-leaning states with competitive Senate races this cycle.

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[–] 15 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

In Texas we're at almost 3 million votes! My family is going this afternoon.

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  • [–] 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    outpacing 2018 in total ballots cast so far, but not by percentage of registered voters, which I guess means millions more eligible voters have registere here since. But nearly tripling Democratic primary ballots cast since 2024 and more than double 2018 is a good sign.

    https://www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/2026/texas-midterms-early-voting-turnout/

    a line graph showing total ballots cast per day from 2018, 2022, and 2026

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