WASHINGTON — More than 46 million Americans had voted ahead of Election Day as of early Friday, surpassing the 45.9 million early votes cast in the 2022 midterms, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab, the Arizona Mirror reported through States Newsroom.
UF political science professor Michael McDonald, who leads the lab, said incoming data suggests overall turnout is shaping up to match 2018, when 53% turnout was the highest in a midterm since 1914.
In Arizona, more than 1.5 million voters have already returned ballots, according to tracking by Democratic consultant Sam Almy. Republicans held a 14,100-ballot edge over Democrats through Oct. 29, though a larger share of registered Democrats, 45%, had voted compared with 38% of Republicans. About 23% of independent and minor-party voters had voted early.
Nationally, 43.9% of early voters through Friday were registered Democrats, 31.3% are Republicans and 24.8% have no party affiliation, according to the UF Election Lab.
Control of both chambers of Congress is at stake on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Arizona voters who still have an early ballot can return it to a drop box or vote center through 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Sources: Arizona Mirror. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
