10 Million More Early Votes Than 2022: US Midterm Turnout Surges in Key Battleground States

A person drops a vote-by-mail ballot in Florida.

More than 43 million Americans have cast their ballots ahead of next week's midterm elections, with early voting significantly outpacing the 2022 midterms, particularly in states with closely contested Senate races, an Associated Press analysis of voting data has found.

Nearly 10 million more people have voted early compared with the same point four years ago, according to figures covering 47 states and Washington, DC. The analysis was based on data collected five days before Election Day.

The increase has been particularly sharp in Texas, where more than 6.3 million people had voted by Wednesday, compared with 4.2 million at the same point in 2022 – a rise of 50%.

Texas is among the states attracting significant attention this election, with closely watched races for the Senate, House of Representatives and governor. Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is challenging Democrat James Talarico in the Senate contest, while Republican Governor Greg Abbott is seeking re-election against Democrat Gina Hinojosa.

Where early voting stands on October 30.

Harris County, which includes Houston and has consistently voted Democratic in recent elections, has also recorded a substantial increase. About 862,700 people had voted there by Wednesday…

Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/world