NewsWFLA News Channel 8October 24, 2026Hillsborough County
Early Voting Surges Nationally With Increased Turnout Among Democrats And Unaffiliated Voters
Photo: WFLA News Channel 8
Early voting participation is outpacing 2022 levels across multiple battleground states, driven by increases among registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters. Nationally, over 23 million ballots have been accepted as political analysts monitor whether the turnout trends reflect broader polling data.
Read the full story at WFLA News Channel 8Why It Matters
Changes in early voting volume and party participation rates alter the expected distribution of votes before Election Day, influencing campaign strategy and resource allocation across competitive races.
Key Facts
- Nationwide, more than 23 million early ballots have been accepted compared to over 15 million at a similar point in 2022.
- In North Carolina, early ballots accepted show a 37 percent increase from the same point in the 2022 midterms.
- Early voting in Kansas is up roughly 69 percent, up 41 percent in Maine, and up 24 percent in Iowa.
- In Travis County, Texas, over 158,000 in-person ballots were cast during the first four days of early voting.
- Georgia has recorded approximately 1.5 million early ballots cast through Thursday.
- In Virginia, nearly 930,000 early ballots had been cast through Thursday, representing an 80 percent increase over the same point in 2022.
Who's Mentioned
PersonBrandon Rottinghaus“Political science professor at the University of Houston.”PersonDonald Trump“Former President discussing mail-in and early voting rhetoric.”locationTexas“State where Democrats hope to win a statewide election.”locationMaine“State with early voting up 41 percent.”PersonMichael Bitzer“Catawba College political scientist who analyzed North Carolina early voting dat”locationKansas“State with early voting up roughly 69 percent.”PersonLuke Warford“Chair of the Travis County Democratic Party.”PersonJon Ossoff“Democratic Senator from Georgia.”locationVirginia“State targeting GOP-held House seats with high early voting numbers.”locationGeorgia“State with a competitive Senate race involving Jon Ossoff.”PersonStephen Farnsworth“University of Mary Washington political scientist.”PersonAndra Gillespie“Political scientist at Emory University.”locationNorth Carolina“State experiencing a 37 percent increase in early ballots.”locationTravis County“Democratic stronghold in Texas including Austin.”PersonMichael McDonald“University of Florida political science professor tracking national early voting”locationIowa“State with early voting up 24 percent.”PersonJames Talarico“Democratic Senate nominee in Texas.”