With nine days left before Nov. 3, the early vote is no longer a sideshow. In Harris County, Texas, more than half a million people voted in the first week of early voting, about one in five registered voters, according to ABC13 Houston. No midterm in county records going back to 1998 started faster. More than 104,000 people voted in person on the first day alone, which was more than on any single early-voting day in 2018 or 2022. Statewide, the station reported, more than 3.5 million Texans voted in the first five days.

The Texas surge follows a pattern the Associated Press identified earlier in the week. In its analysis of data through Oct. 20, early voting in Texas was up 74% from the same point in 2022 and more than doubled in Kansas. Maine, North Carolina and Ohio were up by more than 30%. Each of those states has a Senate race that could help decide control of the chamber. The increase is not universal, though. The AP found Michigan and Georgia roughly level with their record 2022 pace, and Iowa about 6% behind it.

Some of the increase is structural, and that matters for anyone reading the numbers. The AP noted that some states have expanded early voting or published more data since the last midterm. Ohio eliminated its grace period for receiving mail ballots, which pushes voters to return them sooner. Harris County has about 400,000 more registered voters than in 2018 and fewer Election Day polling places than in 2022. University of Houston political scientist Nancy Sims told ABC13 that turnout is high even in the county's suburban, traditionally Republican areas, and that countywide vote centers make it "a little hard to extrapolate."

The Northeast is just getting started. New York City's nine-day early voting period runs through Nov. 1, CBS New York reported. Sunday is the second of nine early-voting days in New Jersey, where sites stay open until 8 p.m. on weekdays starting Monday, according to the New Jersey Globe.

Legal fights over who gets counted are continuing alongside the voting. The 9th Circuit ordered California to respond by Saturday to the Justice Department's emergency request to set aside mail ballots tied to about 20,000 suspected noncitizens, Fox News reported. State officials argue that ballots already separated from their envelopes can't be traced, and a district court hearing remains set for Tuesday.

Why it matters

More votes are coming in earlier, so voter outreach has to reach people earlier too. A voter who has already cast a ballot is off the contact list, and the closing message reaches a smaller share of the electorate. High early turnout shows that voters are engaged. It does not predict the result.

Sources

• ABC13 Houston, "Harris County's first week of early voting beats every midterm on record" (Oct. 25, 2026): https://abc13.com/post/harris-countys-first-week-early-voting-beats-every-midterm-record/19975982/
• AP via WTOP, "Many states deciding control of the Senate are seeing a big boost in early voting, AP analysis shows" (Oct. 21, 2026): https://wtop.com/national/2026/10/many-states-that-could-determine-control-of-the-us-senate-are-seeing-a-big-boost-in-early-voting-ap-analysis-shows/
• AP News, "Voter turnout is soaring in some key states, AP analysis shows" (Oct. 2026): https://apnews.com/article/election-2026-midterms-voting-early-turnout-44df2c18b387d28022dbb480e99feaba
• CBS New York, "How and when to vote early in New York and New Jersey for the 2026 general election" (Oct. 2026): https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/ny-nj-general-election-2026-early-voting/
• New Jersey Globe, "Day 2 of Early voting in New Jersey. Polls are open from 10 AM to 6 PM" (Oct. 25, 2026): https://newjerseyglobe.com/campaigns/day-2-of-early-voting-in-new-jersey-polls-are-open-from-10-am-to-6-pm/
• Fox News, "California must respond to DOJ's emergency request over ballots mailed to alleged noncitizens, court rules" (Oct. 24, 2026): https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-must-respond-dojs-emergency-request-over-ballots-mailed-alleged-noncitizens-court-rules

← Back to News