Postal Voting in US Midterm Election 2026 show about 33.2 million mail ballots returned across 47 reporting states as of November 7, 2026, against 30.0 million cast in person early. Mail ballots made up about 52.6% of 63.2 million early votes, 16.5 million requested mail ballots had not come back, and the last national rejection rate, from 2024, was 1.2%.
Postal Voting in US Midterm Election 2026 – Introduction
Postal voting decided how a large share of Americans voted in the 2026 midterms. Voters in eight states receive a ballot automatically, and voters elsewhere request one. Mail ballots then travel back by post, drop box or election office. The 2026 election set a midterm record for early voting, and postal voting drove much of it in California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Utah and Michigan.
This report breaks down postal voting by state, by party registration, by return rate and by rejection. It compares 2026 with 2018, 2022 and 2024, and it covers the late-arriving ballot rules the Supreme Court settled in June. Figures run through November 7, 2026, and counting continues in several states. Registration data shows who returned a ballot, not how anyone voted.
Interesting Facts about Postal Voting in US Midterm Election 2026
EARLY BALLOTS BY METHOD, NOVEMBER 7, 2026 (millions)
Mail ballots returned | ███████████████████████████████████████ 33.2
In-person early | ████████████████████████████████ 30.0
Mail not yet returned | █████████████████ 16.5| Fact | 2026 Data |
|---|---|
| Mail ballots returned | 33,199,376 across 47 reporting states |
| In-person early votes | 29,974,516 |
| Total early ballots | 63,173,892 |
| Mail share of early votes | 52.6% |
| Mail ballots not yet returned | 16,488,588 |
| Return rate so far | 66.8% |
| Last national rejection rate (2024) | 1.2% |
| States with automatic mail ballots | 8 |
| Supreme Court grace-period ruling | June 29, 2026, 5–4 |
Source: University of Florida Election Lab and On Point Politics early vote tracker (November 7, 2026); U.S. Election Assistance Commission, 2024 EAVS; Ballotpedia; U.S. Supreme Court.
The tracker counted 33,199,376 mail ballots and 29,974,516 in-person early votes, for 63,173,892 early ballots. Mail made up about 52.6% of that total. Another 16,488,588 ballots had been sent or requested and had not come back, which puts the return rate at about 66.8% of 49.7 million mailed. The count was still moving after Election Day.
Eight states mail a ballot to every registered voter: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington. The Supreme Court ruled on June 29, 2026, by 5–4, that states may count ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within five days after. The last full national rejection figure, 1.2% of returned ballots, comes from 2024. No 2026 national rejection total exists yet.
Postal Ballots Returned by State 2026: Which States Led
MAIL BALLOTS RETURNED BY STATE, NOVEMBER 3 (thousands)
California | █████████████████████████████████████████████████ 6,653
Florida | ████████████████████ 2,007
Washington | ████████████████████ 1,993
Colorado | ██████████████████ 1,849
Michigan | █████████████████ 1,746
Arizona | ████████████████ 1,648
Oregon | ███████████████ 1,506
Massachusetts | ████████ 814
Illinois | ███████ 711
Ohio | ██████ 647| State | Mail Ballots Returned |
|---|---|
| California | 6,653,172 |
| Florida | 2,007,192 |
| Washington | 1,992,533 |
| Colorado | 1,848,783 |
| Michigan | 1,745,903 |
| Arizona | 1,648,197 |
| Oregon | 1,505,694 |
| Massachusetts | 813,959 |
| Illinois | 710,896 |
| Ohio | 647,089 |
Source: University of Florida Election Lab, early vote tracker, snapshot of November 3, 2026 (state reporting dates vary).
California returned 6,653,172 mail ballots, more than three times Florida’s 2,007,192. Washington followed with 1,992,533, Colorado with 1,848,783 and Michigan with 1,745,903. Washington, Arizona and Oregon appear as all-mail in the tracker because it files their early votes under returned mail. Treat their totals as the tracker’s classification.
The ten states above returned about 19.6 million mail ballots, roughly 70% of the 27.8 million the tracker counted nationally on November 3. Totals kept rising afterward as late ballots arrived, and Florida alone reached 2,079,468 by November 7. Texas returned just 255,521 mail ballots by then, which shows how small mail voting is where it requires an excuse.
Mail Voting vs In-Person Early Voting 2026: How Voters Cast Ballots
MAIL VS IN-PERSON EARLY VOTES (millions)
UF Lab, Nov 3 mail | ███████████████████████████ 27.8
UF Lab, Nov 3 in person | ████████████████████████████████ 32.5
Tracker, Nov 7 mail | █████████████████████████████████ 33.2
Tracker, Nov 7 in person | ██████████████████████████████ 30.0| Snapshot | In Person | Mail Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UF Election Lab, Nov 1 | 23 million | 29 million | About 44% |
| UF Election Lab, Nov 3 | 27.8 million | 32.5 million | 46.2% |
| NBC News tracker | 28.3 million | 33.3 million | About 46% |
| Tracker, Nov 7 | 33.2 million | 30.0 million | 52.6% |
| 2022 midterm, total early | 45.9 million (UF Lab) | Not split | Not split |
Source: University of Florida Election Lab; NBC News; On Point Politics early vote tracker; Al Jazeera, November 2026.
In-person early voting led through November 3. The UF Election Lab counted 32.5 million in person against 27.8 million by mail. By November 7, mail led, with 33.2 million against 30.0 million. The shift likely reflects mail ballots that arrived after Election Day and ballots from states that process slowly, such as California.
Totals differ by tracker because states define early and mail ballots differently and report on different days. Late-arriving ballots in California and Washington also sit in the Election Day group in some counts. The 2022 midterm drew 45.9 million early votes in total, and 2026 passed that mark by October 30. Use the same tracker and date when comparing figures.
Mail Ballots Requested vs Returned 2026: Return Rates
MAIL BALLOTS SENT OR REQUESTED, NATIONAL, NOVEMBER 7 (millions)
Returned | ██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ 33.2
Not returned | ████████████████████████████████ 16.5| Measure | 2026 Data |
|---|---|
| Mail ballots returned | 33,199,376 |
| Sent or requested, not returned | 16,488,588 |
| Total sent or requested | 49,687,964 |
| National return rate | 66.8% |
| Florida returned | 2,079,468 |
| Florida requested, not yet returned | 386,863 |
| Texas returned | 255,521 |
Source: On Point Politics early vote tracker, November 7, 2026; University of Florida Election Lab. Return rate is our calculation.
About 49.7 million mail ballots were sent or requested in the 47 reporting states, and 33.2 million came back, a return rate of about 66.8%. That compares with 59.7% in 2022 and 72% in 2024, according to federal survey data. The 2026 figure may still rise, since the tracker’s “not returned” count includes ballots that voters never intended to use.
Return rates vary because states send ballots differently, and a ballot that was never marked still counts as sent. In states that mail a ballot to every voter, many ballots can go unused, and the rate runs lower. In states where voters request a ballot, most come back. Florida had 386,863 requests still outstanding on November 7, while Texas returned only 255,521 mail ballots because its eligibility is narrow.
State-Wise Postal Voting Percentages 2026: Mail Share of the Early Vote
MAIL SHARE OF EARLY VOTES BY STATE (percent)
Utah | ████████████████████████████████████████████████ 97.7%
Colorado | ████████████████████████████████████████████████ 97.3%
Hawaii | ████████████████████████████████████████████████ 97.3%
California | ██████████████████████████████████████████████ 93.3%
Michigan | ███████████████████████████████████ 71.4%
Massachusetts | ███████████████████████████████████ 70.1%
Nevada | █████████████████████████████ 58.0%
New Jersey | ████████████████████████ 48.2%
Florida | ██████████████████ 36.7%
Texas | ██ 3.5%| State | Mail Share of Early Votes |
|---|---|
| Utah | 97.7% |
| Colorado | 97.3% |
| Hawaii | 97.3% |
| California | 93.3% |
| Michigan | 71.4% |
| Massachusetts | 70.1% |
| Nevada | 58.0% |
| New Jersey | 48.2% |
| Florida | 36.7% |
| Texas | 3.5% |
Source: Our calculation from University of Florida Election Lab state data, snapshot of November 3, 2026.
Mail is nearly the whole early vote in the all-mail states. Utah stands at 97.7%, Colorado and Hawaii at 97.3% and California at 93.3%. Michigan reached 71.4% and Massachusetts 70.1%. Nevada, which mails ballots to everyone, shows 58.0% because many voters still use early in-person sites.
Florida’s mail share was 36.7%, New Jersey’s 48.2% and Texas’s 3.5%. Georgia (4.6%) and North Carolina (3.5%) were similar to Texas. These percentages measure mail as a share of early votes, not of all votes, so they exclude Election Day ballots. Southern states with strict mail eligibility rely heavily on in-person early voting, so their mail shares stay in the single digits.
Democratic vs Republican Mail-Ballot Participation 2026: Party Registration
PARTY REGISTRATION OF EARLY VOTERS IN MAIL-HEAVY STATES (percent Democratic / Republican)
Pennsylvania | D ████████████████████████████████ 64.5 | R ████████████ 25.1
New Jersey | D ████████████████████████████ 56.7 | R ████████████ 23.6
Oregon | D ████████████████████ 40.7 | R ███████████████ 30.7
Nevada | D ███████████████████ 39.1 | R ████████████████ 33.8
Arizona | D ██████████████████ 37.2 | R ███████████████████ 37.9
Colorado | D ███████████████ 30.1 | R ████████████ 24.6
Utah | D ██████████ 19.7 | R ██████████████████████████ 52.5| State | Democrats | Republicans | None/Minor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 719,554 | 280,632 | 115,808 |
| New Jersey | 703,548 | 293,062 | 243,439 |
| Oregon | 612,415 | 462,306 | 430,973 |
| Nevada | 300,466 | 259,548 | 207,872 |
| Arizona | 613,185 | 625,143 | 409,869 |
| Colorado | 572,642 | 467,376 | 859,741 |
| Utah | 115,065 | 306,601 | 161,957 |
Source: University of Florida Election Lab, party registration of early voters, November 3, 2026. Registration shows who voted, not how they voted.
Registered Democrats led in most mail-heavy states. Pennsylvania’s early voters were 64.5% Democratic and 25.1% Republican, and New Jersey’s were 56.7% and 23.6%. In Arizona, registered Republicans edged ahead, 37.9% to 37.2%. In Utah, Republicans held 52.5% against 19.7% for Democrats. Colorado’s biggest group was unaffiliated at 45.3%.
Nationally, in the 27 states that report party registration, 12,699,997 registered Democrats had voted early, or 42.9%, against 9,288,009 registered Republicans, or 31.4%. On October 30, the tracker showed Democrats at 43.9%, Republicans at 31.3% and unaffiliated voters at 24.8%. The tables mix mail and in-person votes in some states and cannot show vote choice.
Accepted and Rejected Mail Ballots 2026: What the Latest Federal Data Shows
MAIL BALLOT REJECTION RATE, 2024 (percent of returned ballots)
Arkansas | ████████████████████████████████████████████ 8.8
Delaware | █████████████████████████ 5.1
Oklahoma | █████████████████████ 4.3
Texas | █████████████████ 3.5
Michigan | ███████████████ 3.1
National | ██████ 1.2
Indiana | █ 0.2| Metric (2024) | Value |
|---|---|
| Mail ballots transmitted | 66,867,671 |
| Mail ballots returned | 47,957,093 |
| Mail ballots counted | 47,629,437 |
| Mail ballots rejected | 584,463 |
| National rejection rate | 1.2% |
| Highest-rejection state | Arkansas, 8.8% |
| Lowest-rejection states | Indiana, Maine, Vermont, 0.2% |
| 2026 national rejected total | Not yet published |
Source: U.S. Election Assistance Commission, 2024 Election Administration and Voting Survey; Ballotpedia, rejected ballots analysis.
In 2024, voters returned 47,957,093 mail ballots, and officials counted 47,629,437 of them. They rejected 584,463, or 1.2%. Arkansas had the highest rate at 8.8%, followed by Delaware at 5.1% and Oklahoma at 4.3%. Indiana, Maine and Vermont rejected just 0.2%. Of the swing states, Michigan rejected 3.1% and Arizona 0.9%.
No national count of 2026 accepted and rejected ballots exists yet. The federal survey for 2026 will likely not appear until mid-2027, based on past release dates. A review of six 2026 primary states found a 1.3% rejection rate, in line with 2024. That review came from a voting-rights group, so treat it as an early indicator. Final 2026 rejection data will come from state canvasses.
Mail Ballot Rejection Rates in Swing and Large States 2026: The 2022 and 2024 Baseline
MAIL BALLOT REJECTION RATE, 2024 (percent of returned ballots)
Texas | ███████████████████████████████████ 3.5
Michigan | ███████████████████████████████ 3.1
North Carolina | █████████████████████████████ 2.9
Nevada | ████████████████████ 2.0
Georgia | █████████████████ 1.7
Pennsylvania | ██████████ 1.0
Arizona | █████████ 0.9
California | █████████ 0.9
Florida | ███████ 0.7
Wisconsin | █████ 0.5| State | 2022 Rejection Rate | 2024 Rejection Rate | 2024 Rejected Ballots |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 3.4% | 3.5% | 14,049 |
| Michigan | 1.4% | 3.1% | 63,561 |
| North Carolina | 2.2% | 2.9% | 8,916 |
| Nevada | 2.0% | 2.0% | 13,305 |
| Georgia | 1.5% | 1.7% | 4,761 |
| Pennsylvania | 1.9% | 1.0% | 19,270 |
| Arizona | 0.4% | 0.9% | 25,071 |
| California | 2.4% | 0.9% | 123,248 |
| Florida | 0.8% | 0.7% | 21,126 |
| Wisconsin | 0.9% | 0.5% | 2,823 |
Source: Ballotpedia, absentee/mail-in ballot rejection rates 2016-2024, based on U.S. Election Assistance Commission data.
Texas had the highest rate among these states, at 3.5% of its 398,270 returned mail ballots in 2024. Michigan came next at 3.1%, up from 1.4% in 2022, and it rejected 63,561 ballots, the most of any state besides California. North Carolina rose from 2.2% to 2.9%. Nevada held at 2.0%.
California rejected the most ballots, 123,248, but its rate fell to 0.9% from 2.4% in 2022 because it returned 13.2 million ballots. Pennsylvania’s rate dropped from 1.9% to 1.0%, and Wisconsin’s from 0.9% to 0.5%. Arizona’s rate more than doubled, from 0.4% to 0.9%. These 2024 figures are the baseline for judging 2026 canvass results when they arrive.
Late-Arriving Ballots and Rejection Reasons 2026: Signatures, Deadlines and Cure Rules
SHARE OF REJECTED MAIL BALLOTS BY REASON, 2024 (percent)
Non-matching signature | ████████████████████████████████████████ 40.7
Other reasons | ██████████████████ 18.1
No signature (approx.) | ██████████ 10.0| Measure | Data |
|---|---|
| Non-matching signature | 40.7% of rejections in 2024 |
| Other reasons | 18.1% of rejections |
| No signature | About 10% of rejections |
| Lateness rejections, grace-period states | 0.21% of returned ballots |
| Lateness rejections, Election Day-receipt states | 0.23% of returned ballots |
| Range of ballots arriving in grace period | 0.1% (West Virginia) to 2.5% (California) |
| California late ballots, June 2026 primary | 1.1% of returned ballots |
| California late ballots, 2025 special election | 0.7% |
Source: U.S. Election Assistance Commission, 2024 EAVS; Ballotpedia; MIT Election Data and Science Lab; Bipartisan Policy Center; Public Policy Institute of California.
Signature problems drove rejections. A non-matching signature accounted for 40.7% of rejected ballots in 2024, and another 10% had no signature. Late arrival was a smaller factor nationally. States with a post-Election Day deadline rejected 0.21% of returned ballots for lateness, and states requiring Election Day receipt rejected 0.23%. In 43 states, voters could cure ballot problems in 2024.
Ballots arriving in a grace period ranged from 0.1% in West Virginia to 2.5% in California. A study found 1.1% of California’s mail ballots arrived late in the June 2026 primary, up from 0.7% in the 2025 special election, and Washington and Oregon also saw increases. The Supreme Court’s June 29 ruling keeps grace periods in place in about 14 states and Washington, D.C., though counts vary by source.
Postal Voting Rules and Court Rulings 2026: Grace Periods, Executive Order and Injunctions
BALLOT GRACE PERIOD LENGTH AFTER ELECTION DAY (days)
Texas | █ 1
California | ███████ 7
Washington | ████████████████████ 20| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Watson v. RNC | Decided June 29, 2026, by 5–4; Justice Barrett wrote the opinion |
| Holding | States may count ballots postmarked by Election Day and received after |
| Mississippi rule at issue | Received within 5 business days |
| States with grace periods | About 14, plus Washington, D.C. |
| Trump executive order | Signed March 2026; limits mail ballot delivery to approved voter lists |
| Nationwide injunction on USPS | Issued August 11, 2026 by Judge Talwani |
| Supreme Court order | August 24, 2026, 6–3; lifted a June injunction as premature |
| States in the lawsuit | 23 plus Washington, D.C. |
Source: U.S. Supreme Court, Watson v. Republican National Committee; Bipartisan Policy Center; NPR; Reuters; Voting Rights Lab, 2026.
In Watson v. RNC, the Supreme Court held by 5–4 on June 29, 2026 that federal law does not require ballots to arrive by Election Day. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote for the majority that the question was “a narrow one about timing.” States keep control of receipt deadlines, which run from 1 day in Texas to 20 days in Washington. California counts ballots received within 7 days.
The executive order is a separate fight. Trump signed it in March 2026 to restrict mail ballots, and 23 states and Washington, D.C. sued. A judge blocked it in June, and on August 24 the Supreme Court, by 6–3, lifted that injunction as premature without ruling on its legality. A nationwide injunction against the Postal Service, issued August 11, remained. Reports said the order had not directly affected eligible voters’ mail options.
Postal Voting 2018, 2022, 2024 and 2026 Comparison: Midterms and Presidential Years
MAIL BALLOTS RETURNED NATIONALLY (millions)
2018 | ██████████████████████████████ 30.4
2022 | ████████████████████████████████████ 36.7
2024 | ████████████████████████████████████████████████ 48.0
2026 | █████████████████████████████████ 33.2 (so far, 47 states)| Year | Mail Returned | Return Rate | Rejection Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 30.4 million | Not stated | 1.4% |
| 2022 | 36.7 million | 59.7% | 1.5% |
| 2024 | 48.0 million | 72% | 1.2% |
| 2026 | 33.2 million (so far) | 66.8% (so far) | Not yet published |
Source: U.S. Election Assistance Commission, EAVS 2018, 2022, 2024; Ballotpedia; University of Florida Election Lab; On Point Politics, 2026.
Mail returns rose from 30.4 million in 2018 (about 25.3% of the 120.3 million votes cast) to 36.7 million in 2022 and 48.0 million in 2024. The 2026 total of 33.2 million is still partial, covers 47 states and will likely climb. The rise from 2022 to 2024 added about 11.3 million mail ballots, a 31% increase, in two years. The 2026 count will need to exceed 36.7 million to top 2022, and the tracker is 3.5 million short of that mark so far. About 122.7 million ballots had been counted nationally, for turnout near 48.8%, the second-highest midterm rate in over a century.
Rejection rates held between 1.2% and 1.5% across the three federal surveys. The 2022 midterm had the highest, at 1.5%, and 2024 the lowest of the three, at 1.2%. In March, Trump signed an order to limit mail ballots. The Supreme Court on August 24 let it move forward but did not rule on its legality, and a separate injunction against the Postal Service stayed in place.
Postal Voting in US Midterm Election 2026 FAQ
How many mail ballots were returned in the 2026 midterm election?
About 33.2 million mail ballots were returned across 47 reporting states as of November 7, 2026.
How many people voted early in the 2026 midterms?
63,173,892 early ballots had been cast by November 7, including 33.2 million by mail and 30.0 million in person.
What percentage of early votes were mail ballots in 2026?
About 52.6% on November 7. On November 3 the figure was 46.2%.
Which state returned the most mail ballots in 2026?
California returned 6,653,172 mail ballots by November 3.
What is the mail ballot return rate in 2026?
About 66.8%, with 33.2 million returned out of 49.7 million sent or requested.
How many mail ballots were rejected in the 2026 midterms?
No national figure exists yet. The latest, from 2024, was 584,463 rejected ballots, or 1.2%.
Why are mail ballots rejected?
The most common reason is a non-matching signature, at 40.7% of 2024 rejections. Missing signatures and late arrival follow.
Which states have all-mail elections?
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington mail a ballot to every registered voter.
Can mail ballots arrive after Election Day in 2026?
In states with a grace period, yes. The Supreme Court ruled 5–4 on June 29, 2026 that states may count ballots postmarked by Election Day.
How many states allow late-arriving mail ballots?
About 14 states and Washington, D.C., have grace periods, though counts vary by source. They range from 1 day in Texas to 20 days in Washington.
Do Democrats or Republicans vote by mail more?
Registered Democrats had cast 42.9% of early ballots and Republicans 31.4% in the 27 states reporting party data. Registration does not show vote choice.
How does 2026 compare with 2022 for mail voting?
2022 returned 36.7 million mail ballots at a 59.7% return rate. 2026 reached 33.2 million so far, at 66.8%.
What was the national mail ballot rejection rate in 2018, 2022 and 2024?
1.4% in 2018, 1.5% in 2022 and 1.2% in 2024.
Which states rejected the most mail ballots in 2024?
Arkansas (8.8%), Delaware (5.1%) and Oklahoma (4.3%).
What was the 2026 midterm turnout?
About 122.7 million ballots were counted, for turnout near 48.8% of eligible voters.
Did a court block Trump’s mail ballot order?
A federal judge blocked parts of it, and the Supreme Court lifted one injunction on August 24, 2026. A separate injunction against the Postal Service remained.
What did the Supreme Court decide about late mail ballots in 2026?
In Watson v. RNC, it held that federal law lets states count ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within a set grace period.
Which swing state rejected the most mail ballots in 2024?
Michigan rejected 63,561 ballots, or 3.1% of those returned.
What share of mail ballots arrive late in California?
A study found 1.1% of California’s returned mail ballots arrived late in the June 2026 primary, up from 0.7% in 2025.
How many ballots could still be counted after November 7?
The tracker listed 16.5 million sent or requested mail ballots as not returned, though many were never intended to be returned.
How many mail ballots did Florida return in 2026?
Florida returned 2,079,468 mail ballots by November 7, and 386,863 requested ballots were still outstanding.
Which states have the lowest mail voting shares in 2026?
Texas and North Carolina each show about 3.5% of early votes by mail, and Georgia shows 4.6%.
Is registered party the same as vote choice?
No. Party registration shows which voters returned a ballot, not how they voted.
Disclaimer: This research report is compiled from publicly available sources. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the completeness or reliability of the information. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, losses, or damages of any kind arising from the use of this report.