52 Million Early Ballots Cast in 2026 Midterms

Cook Political Report identifies 76 competitive races

The Cook Political Report identified 76 competitive races as of Oct. High early turnout appears in states with competitive races including Texas, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.

Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats held by Republicans to secure control of the chamber.

The report labeled 18 House races as toss-ups, including nine involving Republican incumbents.

Mid-decade redistricting made some House races competitive.

Voters weigh economic issues including inflation and gas prices

Regular gasoline now averages $4.20 per gallon, representing an increase of nearly 35% since President Donald Trump took office.

The war in Iran disrupts global oil supplies, driving higher oil prices that contribute to these fuel costs. Inflation rose 3.7% in September compared to the same month last year. While the stock market plummeted in April 2025 after Trump announced sweeping tariffs on trading partners, it has since recovered. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has gained 20% since the start of Trump’s second term.

District court bars federal interference in ballot processing

A district court granted a temporary restraining order on Oct. 30, 2026, that bars the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security from coercing election officials to stop ballot processing. The order prevents federal agencies from demanding the removal of registered voters, segregating ballots based on ineligibility claims, or threatening local officials with criminal prosecution for lawfully counting ballots.

On Oct.

Government appeals court rulings on non-citizen voter lists

The federal government continues to challenge court rulings regarding its voter list maintenance policy, which a district court vacated on Oct. 9, 2026. The government appealed that vacatur to the D.C. Circuit on Oct. 16, 2026. On Oct. 15, 2026, plaintiffs requested a status conference to determine if Department of Justice actions toward California concerning over 20,000 alleged non-citizen voters violated the Oct. 9 order. The government filed responses in opposition to this request on Oct. 19, 2026.

Legal battles over these lists intensified in late October. On Oct. 26, 2026, the Ninth Circuit dismissed a government appeal and denied an emergency request for an injunction. A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit rejected a subsequent government appeal for a stay on Oct. The district court also denied the government's request for a temporary restraining order on Oct. 28, 2026.

On Oct. Plaintiffs submitted a report analyzing this list on Oct. 31, 2026, which indicated that more than 40% of the names are not on California voter rolls. The government appealed the Oct. 30 order to the Ninth Circuit on Oct. 31, 2026.

On Nov. Also on Nov. 1, 2026, the government filed a motion alleging the plaintiffs violated a court order while handling the voter list. ET on Nov. 2, 2026.

Legal hearings scheduled for November

The district court scheduled an in-person hearing for 11:00 a.m. PT on Nov. 2 regarding the government’s request to stay a temporary restraining order. On Oct. 2.

The case OneAmerica Votes v. Trump, No. 2:26-cv-04223, currently sits in the Western District of Washington with no judge assigned. The suit seeks to block the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice Voter Data Collection Policy, with a pending decision on a temporary restraining order, an Administrative Procedure Act stay, and a preliminary injunction.

A preliminary injunction hearing is set for Nov. 13 to consider motions to dismiss from state and county defendants and the federal government’s motion for a preliminary injunction. The temporary restraining order remains in effect until 5 p.m. PT on Nov. 16.

Witness lists for the Nov. 13 hearing are due on Nov. 6.

Illinois sees high early voting turnout

Illinois voters show varying levels of participation in early voting. DuPage County reported an early-voting turnout of 21.4%, which is nearly 5 percentage points higher than the state average. Chicago recorded an early-voting turnout of 13.4%. Both figures include in-person early voting and returned mail ballots.

Governor JB Pritzker campaigned at the Apostolic Church of God on Sunday. He invoked the late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. and urged supporters to participate in the election.