Texas recorded more than 7.7 million early votes before Election Day, a substantial increase from the 2022 midterms, according to University of Florida Election Lab figures based on state reports available through Sunday. Florida recorded more than 5.4 million early ballots, Georgia and North Carolina about 2.8 million each, and Michigan about 1.8 million. Those state totals, set against a national early total of more than 58 million, show where early voting is most established and where campaigns concentrated their final push.
Texas is the striking case. A state with a large population and a history of lower turnout has produced the largest early total in the country, suggesting that both parties invested heavily in turning out their voters before Tuesday and that voters responded to convenience, to competitive races, and to the sheer scale of the ballot. Florida, Georgia and North Carolina are also states with competitive Senate and governor races and with well used early voting systems, which helps explain their high totals relative to their populations.
Why state totals differ
Early totals differ for three reasons: rules, competition and habit. States that offer long early voting periods and many early locations naturally record higher early totals. States with competitive races attract more campaign spending on early turnout. States where voters have used early voting for years develop a habit that persists. A state with a short early period or with fewer locations will record a lower early total even if Election Day turnout is high, which is why early totals alone do not predict final turnout.
The early voting report on Tuesday notes that early voting includes ballots cast in person at designated polling stations and those submitted by mail, a distinction that matters for counting. In person early ballots are usually counted quickly, while mail ballots may take longer, depending on when a state begins processing them. That counting difference is why some states report early results fast and others take days, even with similar early totals.
Reading the map without overreading it
Do not read an early total as a result. Early voters in Texas, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina include supporters of both parties, and the partisan composition of early voters differs from Election Day voters in ways that vary by state. The map is useful for understanding where campaigns fought hardest and where voters found early voting most convenient. It is not a forecast, and the final result will depend on Tuesday voters as well as on the millions who already voted.
