The number of Americans who have cast ballots before the Nov 3 general election reached a new record on Thursday, with tracker data from ElectProject showing a total of at least 51 million early votes. A separate tally compiled by the Associated Press, CNN and Catalist places the current participation at more than 50 million, continuing a surge in early voting that now exceeds the total pre-election early volume tracked during the 2022 midterm cycle.
The current early vote margin is D+10.5, and while Republicans improved their raw ballot counts in 32 of 34 states, the overall projected electorate for the midterms stands at D+3.1. In Texas, early turnout in predominantly Hispanic border counties including Hidalgo has already surpassed the combined early and Election Day totals from four years ago. Regional shifts are also appearing in Florida, where Black voters in Polk County turn out at a rate of 17% compared to 12.3% for White voters, leading state Comptroller Don Huffines to describe the current voting trends as “ugly” at a recent rally.