Early ballots cast by registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters are increasing faster than those cast by registered Republicans in several US states ahead of the 3 November 2026 midterm elections. Figures reported on Friday, 23 October, showed North Carolina had accepted more than 1.2 million early ballots, while the nationwide total exceeded 23 million.
An analysis published that day by Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College, found North Carolina's accepted early-ballot total running 37 per cent ahead of the comparable point in 2022. Early voting among registered Democrats was up 47 per cent, compared with 60 per cent among unaffiliated voters and roughly 2.6 per cent among registered Republicans.
