Over 51 Million Americans Cast Early Votes in 2026 Midterm Races
Presidential polls recorded 28.1 million in-person ballots, exceeding the 46 million total from the 2022 cycle.
By Riya Zhao ·
More than 51 million U.S. voters have cast ballots for the 2026 midterm elections, according to data from the University of Florida’s Election Lab. This figure surpasses the total number of early votes recorded in the 2022 election cycle.
The lab’s tracker indicates that 28,133,515 of these ballots were cast in person at authorized polling locations. The remainder of the 51 million total consists of mail-in ballots that have already been received and counted.
Approximately 40 million additional mail-in ballots have been requested by voters but have not yet been returned. These pending votes could be added to the final tally of early ballots as the election approaches.
In 2022, a total of 46 million Americans voted before election day, according to the same Election Lab tracker. This year’s early participation rate is trending higher than that previous benchmark.
The current data reflects a surge in early voting activity across the nation. The breakdown between in-person and postal methods shows a heavy preference for casting votes at physical centers in this cycle.
