Tens of millions of Americans aren’t waiting until Election Day to make their voices heard — and the numbers tell a striking story about voter engagement across the country. With just days left before polls close, early voting data is offering a rare real-time window into how citizens are participating in the democratic process.
As of Thursday morning, more than 41 million voters have already cast ballots either in person or by mail, according to data tracked by the University of Florida Election Lab, which has monitored early voting trends since 2008 and pulls figures directly from state and regional election sources. To put that number in perspective, it represents more than one-third of all votes cast during the entire 2022 midterm election cycle.
It’s important to note what this data does — and doesn’t — tell us. The figures reflect how many people have voted early, not who they voted for. While some states include voters’ party affiliation in their reporting, the data reveals nothing about which candidates are leading or likely to win. Election results remain unknown until ballots are officially counted.
Texas and Georgia Lead the Way
Among the states seeing the most robust early participation, Texas stands out. Early ballots cast there — both in person and by mail — have already surpassed 70% of the state’s total 2022 voter turnout. Approximately 5.6 million of those ballots were cast in person. Texas is one of 10 states that require voters to provide a specific excuse in order to vote by mail, which means the vast majority of that early participation happened at physical polling locations. The state also has a closely watched Senate race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton.
Georgia is another state where voters are showing up early in large numbers. More than two million ballots have been cast there, equaling roughly 58% of the state’s 2022 midterm turnout. Georgia voters are weighing in on competitive races for both the U.S. Senate and the governorship. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is defending his seat against Republican challenger Mike Collins, while the governor’s race features former Atlanta Democratic Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms facing off against Republican nominee Rick Jackson.
Tennessee and North Carolina are also seeing strong early turnout, with early votes accounting for 58% and 56% of their respective 2022 midterm totals.
Access Varies Widely by State
Not every state makes it equally easy for voters to participate before Election Day. Mississippi, Alabama, and New Hampshire do not offer universal early voting options and also require an excuse to vote by mail — meaning eligible voters in those states have fewer pathways to cast a ballot outside of Election Day itself. Understanding how states’ mail-in voting policies have evolved since 2000 helps explain why early turnout looks so different from one state to the next.
Competitive States Also Seeing Strong Numbers
In Ohio, more than one million voters have already cast ballots, representing nearly 31% of the state’s 2022 midterm turnout. The Cook Political Report has rated both Ohio’s open governor’s race and its U.S. Senate seat as competitive. Republican nominee and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Democratic nominee and former state health director Amy Acton are squaring off for the governorship.
Michigan has seen about 1.5 million early votes, with more than 80% of those cast by mail — reflecting the state’s broad access to both in-person early voting and mail balloting. Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers are competing for Michigan’s open Senate seat.
The surge in early voting across these states underscores a broader trend: more Americans are taking advantage of whatever early voting options their state provides. How those options are structured — and who has access to them — continues to shape the landscape of voter participation in ways that matter deeply to the health of American elections.