Florida Lab tracks 51 million early ballots cast in 2026 midterms
In-person voting accounts for the majority of the 28.1 million ballots cast before Election Day.
By Giulia Donovan ·
Early voting in the 2026 U.S. midterm elections has reached a volume that exceeds the previous record set in 2022. The University of Florida’s Election Lab reports that more than 51 million Americans have already cast their ballots, surpassing the 46 million votes recorded in the last midterms.
The lab’s data reveals that the majority of these early votes were cast in person. Specifically, 28,133,515 ballots were submitted at designated polling locations. The remaining early votes were returned via postal mail.
An additional roughly 40 million mail-in ballots have been requested but have not yet been returned. These pending votes may be added to the final early vote count, potentially increasing the total further as Election Day approaches.
The Election Lab’s tracker serves as the primary source for these figures. The current tally indicates that early participation this year is outpacing the 2022 cycle, where 46 million individuals voted before the official election date.
The distinction between in-person and mailed ballots highlights the logistical structure of the current election. While the 28.1 million in-person votes are already counted as early ballots, the 40 million requested mail ballots remain in a pending status until they are received by election officials.
