48 million Americans cast their votes early in the midterm elections

By Wednesday, more than six million people had cast their votes early in Texas, according to official figures, while in-person early participation exceeded the levels recorded in the same period of 2022 by 50%.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections reported that early voting increased by about 37% compared to the last elections, while South Carolina, as of Monday, exceeded the total number of early votes recorded in the 2022 elections, noting that early voting ends in five days.

In Kansas, where Republican Senator Roger Marshall is facing a tough electoral battle, the number of early ballots has risen by about two-thirds compared to 2022, according to local authorities.

As for states that track voters' party affiliation, Democrats have accounted for a significantly higher percentage of early voters compared to Republicans.

Election Lab data showed that registered Democrats represent about 44% of voters who cast their ballots early, compared to 31% for Republicans and 25% for independents.

University of Florida political scientist Michael McDonald pointed to increased turnout among Black and Latino voters in states that provide data by race and ethnicity, amid heavy turnout especially in Latino-majority areas on the Texas-Mexico border.

In Georgia, which saw its highest level of in-person early voting in the state's midterm election history on Thursday, women accounted for 56% of voters, compared to 44% for men.

State election official Brad Raffensperger said, "Georgians continue to head to the polls in record numbers because they trust the system."

However, experts warn against considering these figures as an indicator of the final election result, as a voter's party affiliation does not necessarily reveal their electoral preferences, while tens of millions are expected to cast their votes on Tuesday.

In the last elections, Republicans recorded high participation on polling day, which could reduce or eliminate the Democrats' lead in early voting.

But an increase in early voting participation does not automatically translate into a rise in the total turnout, because some voters may have simply wanted to move up their voting date.