Midterms: early voters flock to the polls – up 74 percent in Texas
Two weeks before the November 3 election, more than 13 million people have already voted, an AP analysis shows – far more than in 2022. The rise is strongest in contested Senate states.
Symbolic image · Photo: Alex Johnson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Two weeks before the US congressional elections on November 3, turnout in early voting is significantly higher than four years ago. According to an Associated Press analysis, more than 13 million mail-in and early in-person votes had been cast by Tuesday, compared with 9 million at the same point in 2022. Part of the increase reflects states that have expanded early voting or release more data, AP noted.
The increase is particularly strong in states that will decide control of the Senate. In Texas, early voting is up 74 percent to nearly 1 million ballots, while in Kansas it has more than doubled to over 55,000. Maine is up 39 percent, Ohio 30 percent and North Carolina more than 30 percent; Michigan and Georgia are at similar levels to 2022, while Iowa is down about 6 percent.
Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority. Democrats are targeting seats in states Trump won. According to AP, dissatisfaction with Trump’s tariffs, the high cost of living and petrol and diesel prices driven up by the Iran war have fuelled a political backlash against Republicans. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico is running against Republican Ken Paxton.