Early Voting Tops 50 Million as Democrats Lead Ballot Count
WHO:
The Guardian - Registered Democrats accounted for 10.7 million early votes and registered Republicans for 7.8 million in states reporting party affiliation; the article cautioned that party registration does not establish how people voted.
The Guardian - Texas Senate candidates were Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico; Republican Gov. Greg Abbott was seeking re-election against Democrat Gina Hinojosa.
The Guardian - In the 2024 presidential contest in Harris County, Kamala Harris defeated Trump by nearly 6%; Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred defeated Republican incumbent Ted Cruz there by roughly 11%.
The Guardian - Greenville County Director of Elections Patty Roach said poll workers had worked across seven elections and that staff were “excited, but we are tired.”
The Guardian - Trump said at a Florida rally, “I thought this was it,” and “Twenty-eight days of this crap in a row is a lot. It’s a lot.”
WHAT:
WYFF - Greenville County’s Patty Roach said more than 10,000 voters came through the previous day, and officials hoped for a large turnout on the final day of early voting.
The Guardian - More than 50.5 million early votes had been cast nationwide, nearly 5 million more than the total early votes in the 2022 midterms.
Newsweek - Nearly 50 million votes had been cast ahead of Election Day, according to the University of Florida.
WYFF - South Carolina recorded just under 1 million early votes. The first day had more than 98,000 votes; the lowest daily total was more than 50,000; the Friday before Halloween had 110,172.
The Guardian - Early voting increased in South Carolina by 83%, Kansas by 34%, Maine by 44%, and Michigan by 32%, compared with the 2022 midterms.
The Guardian - More than 7 million people voted early in Texas, 1.5 million more than the state’s 2022 midterm early-vote total.
The Guardian - In Harris County, 862,700 people had voted by Wednesday, compared with 564,500 at the same point in 2022, according to an Associated Press analysis.
WHERE:
The Guardian - The Senate battleground included Texas, Alaska, Kansas, South Carolina, Maine, and Michigan; the article also described an expanded map of competitive states.
The Guardian - Harris County includes Houston.
WHY:
The Guardian - Control of Congress was at stake; Republicans were defending a 53–47 Senate majority, while Democrats sought Senate control.
The Guardian - The article cited rising food, gasoline, and other essential costs, the Iran war, and concerns about government corruption as issues surrounding the election.
HOW:
WYFF - The vote-count map included accepted mail ballots as well as ballots cast in person early; it reported votes cast, not election results.
WYFF - South Carolina early voting ended at 6 p.m.; the report said early votes included accepted mail ballots and votes cast early, not election results.
WYFF - Patty Roach said workers had prepared through seven elections, each with two weeks of early voting.
(UPDATED November 1, 2026 16:23 UTC)
More than 50 million Americans voted early, surpassing the 2022 midterm total. Party registration showed Democrats ahead, but not how people voted. Control of Congress is at stake, with Democrats seeking Senate control.
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(UPDATED November 1, 2026 12:57 UTC)
More than 50 million Americans voted early, surpassing 2022’s total by nearly five million. Party registration doesn’t show how voters cast ballots. Control of Congress is at stake as Democrats challenge Republicans’ Senate majority.