More than 43 million ballots cast so far in midterms early voting surge

With less than a week to go until the US midterm elections - which will determine which party controls Congress for the next two years - more than 43 million Americans have already voted. Data from the University of Florida Election Lab indicates that four to five million early votes have been cast each day, a much higher rate than in most previous elections. Texas has seen the highest above-average turnout rate so far, says Professor Mike McDonald, who runs the database. Hispanic communities are also seeing a much higher turnout than usual. Overall turnout appears on track to outpace 2020, and even possibly 2018, which beat the 1914 record for overall turnout in a midterm election. Texas has already surpassed its 2022 numbers by around 1.