Millions Cast Votes During Midterms as More States Open Early Voting

Early voting for the midterms started in Virginia on Sept. 23. An absentee ballot dropbox inside the Fairfax County Government Center, an early voting site, in Fairfax, Va., on Oct. 7, 2022. Terri Wu/The Epoch Times

More than 7 million Americans have cast votes, either in-person or by mail-in ballot, as of Oct. 24 as more states are slated to open early polls this week.

Early in-person voting started on Oct. 24 in some areas in South Carolina and in Texas. Several counties in Florida also have begun early voting.

Former President Donald Trump held a large rally in Texas over the weekend in support of Republican congressional candidates, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

“Seventeen days from now, the people of Texas are going to defeat Beto O'Rourke,” Trump said over the weekend. “And we’re going to keep Greg Abbott, a wonderful man, a great man, a great governor.”

The U.S. Elections Project, run by the University of Florida, shows early voting has begun in about three dozen states. Some 7.5 million people have cast ballots, with 5.8 million mail-in ballots being cast and 1.6 million people voting during the early in-person phase.

Florida, California, Georgia, and Michigan currently are leading the way, the data show. Several states with key elections, including Nevada, haven’t reported early voting tallies.

Analysts and officials in some states say that the turnout is higher than during the 2018 midterms.

“It’s clear that we are above the 2018 midterm at the same point in time in states where we have comparable data to look at,” University of Florida professor Michael McDonald told ABC News earlier this week. “We can see the sorts of indicators that would suggest that we’re in for a high-turnout election, much like we had in 2018. And 2018 was the highest midterm turnout rate since 1914.”

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office echoed those sentiments.

“Friday’s total marks a 51 percent increase from day five of 2018 midterm Early Voting and is only 18 percent less than the total of day five of Early Voting in the 2020 Presidential election,” his office said in a statement. “Georgia has had record Early Voting turnout since the first day of Early Voting this year, surging to nearly twice the number on the first day of Early Voting in 2018. ”

What’s at Stake

Democrats have held both chambers of Congress and the presidency for the past two years, but might not have such consolidated power for much longer.

Republicans are favored to win the House in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, bolstered by frustration over the economy and advantages in the redistricting process that takes place every 10 years; the outlook is murkier for the GOP in the Senate. Several races in key battleground states are tight, leading Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) earlier this year to declare the chances of his party winning a majority are just 50-50.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.