Midterm Early Voting Surges

What happened

Updated Oct 30, 11:11am ET

Early voting has surged across Senate battlegrounds, with more than 43 million Americans voting nationwide, nearly 10 million more than at the same point in 2022. The figures covered nearly every state and Washington, D.C. The surge comes five days before the Nov. 3 midterm election, when voters will decide control of Congress. Republicans currently hold both the House and the Senate. Early voting has risen sharply in recent midterms, continuing a turnout trend that has built since 2016. Texas recorded more than 6.3 million early votes, about half again as many as at this point in 2022. Its early in-person voting period was scheduled to end Friday.

How the left told it

Left-leaning outlets framed the surge as heightened participation, while stressing election-call procedures and certification risks. The Boston Globe led with early voting significantly outpacing the last midterm. PBS NewsHour emphasized election calls as a systematic process backed by extensive experience. TPM focused on who certifies results in Senate swing states and what “funny business” they can pull.

How the right told it

Right-leaning outlets treated the surge as evidence of strong interest, while placing it inside longer political cycles. The Epoch Times framed rising turnout as part of a decade-long pattern that began in 2016. The American Spectator looked past the midterms toward early maneuvering for the next presidential nominations.