US Midterm Election Results by Voting Method in 2026 show that about 61.6 million voters cast mail or early in-person ballots before Election Day, with 28.3 million arriving by mail and 33.3 million cast in person. Mail and early ballots leaned Democratic in every state covered here, while Election Day ballots leaned Republican in Michigan and South Carolina.
US Midterm Election Results by Voting Method 2026 – Introduction
US Midterm Election Results by Voting Method tell a story that headline seat counts hide. Voters cast 61.6 million mail and early in-person ballots before Election Day on November 3, 2026, according to the NBC News tracker. Democrats won control of the House and the Senate on the AP count. The way each group voted shaped those results. Mail voters, early in-person voters and Election Day voters picked different parties in state after state. This report breaks down the US Midterm Election Results by Voting Method 2026 using vote-type data from state results pages, early vote trackers and exit polls.
Voting habits changed since 2022. Early in-person voting grew faster than mail voting in several states, and Democrats used it more than before. Republicans, who favored Election Day in past cycles, still led among Election Day voters in Michigan and South Carolina. Counting continues in many states, and officials will certify results over the coming weeks. Every figure below reflects data published through November 5, 2026. Trackers disagree slightly because states report on different schedules, so each table names its source.
Interesting Facts: US Midterm Election Results by Voting Method 2026
EARLY BALLOTS BY METHOD VS 2022 (each █ = 1 million)
In-person early (2026) █████████████████████████████████ 33.3M
Mail ballots (2026) ████████████████████████████ 28.3M
All early, 2022 cycle ██████████████████████████████████████████████ 45.9M| Interesting Fact(s) | 2026 Data |
|---|---|
| Election Day | November 3, 2026 |
| Early ballots cast (NBC News tracker) | 61,559,458 |
| Mail ballots returned | 28.3 million |
| In-person early ballots | 33.3 million |
| Early ballots, entire 2022 cycle | 45.9 million |
| Senate result, preliminary AP count | Democrats 53, Republicans 42 |
| House result, AP count | Democrats, more than 220 seats |
| Presidential approval, early CBS exit poll | 38% |
Source: NBC News 2026 Early Vote Tracker (November 5, 2026); University of Florida Election Lab; Associated Press; CBS News Exit Poll.
The headline number is 61,559,458 early ballots on the NBC News tracker. That is about 34% above the 45.9 million early ballots in the entire 2022 midterm cycle. In-person early voting led at 33.3 million, and mail ballots reached 28.3 million. Early exit polls put presidential approval at 38%, the lowest for a president in a midterm year in that survey.
Seat totals show why US Midterm Election Results by Voting Method matter. Democrats hold 53 Senate seats to 42 for Republicans on the preliminary AP count, with a few races uncalled, and more than 220 House seats. A wide Democratic lead among mail and early voters fed those margins. Election Day voters narrowed the gap in several states.
US Midterm Early Vote Totals 2026: How Many Mail Ballots and In-Person Early Votes Were Cast?
IN-PERSON SHARE OF EARLY BALLOTS (each █ = 2%)
NBC News tracker ███████████████████████████ 54.1%
University of Florida ████████████████████████████ about 55%
On Point tracker ████████████████████████ 48.5%
| Tracker | Date | Total Early Ballots | In Person | In-Person Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBC News | Nov 5, 2026 | 61,559,458 | 28.3 million | 33.3 million | 54.1% |
| On Point (47 states) | Nov 5, 2026 | 61,760,164 | 31,798,695 | 29,961,469 | 48.5% |
| University of Florida Election Lab | Nov 1, 2026 | 53.14 million | 23 million | 29 million | About 55% |
Source: NBC News 2026 Early Vote Tracker; On Point Politics 2026 Early Vote Tracker; University of Florida Election Lab (November 1, 2026).
The NBC News tracker counts 61,559,458 early ballots: 28.3 million by mail and 33.3 million in person. That puts in-person early voting at 54.1% of early ballots. The On Point tracker covers 47 reporting states and counts 61,760,164 ballots, with 31,798,695 by mail and 29,961,469 in person. Its in-person share is 48.5%.
The trackers disagree on the split because states label and report ballots on different timelines. The University of Florida Election Lab counted 53.14 million early ballots by November 1, with 29 million in person and 23 million by mail. The total column shows scale. The share column shows the mix. All three sources agree on the main point: US Midterm Election Results by Voting Method now rest on a near-even split between mail and in-person early ballots.
2026 Early Voting vs 2022 Midterms: How Much Did Early Voting Grow?
NORTH CAROLINA CHANGE VS 2022 (each █ = 2 points)
In-person early ██████████████████ +36%
Mail ballots ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ -35%
| Measure | 2022 Benchmark | 2026 Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Total early ballots | 45.9 million | 61.6 million |
| Growth in early ballots | Baseline | About 34% |
| Democrats who voted by mail | 38% | Lower mail share in NC, IA, OH |
| Republicans who voted by mail | 22% | Not yet published |
| North Carolina early in-person change | Baseline | +36% |
| North Carolina mail change | Baseline | -35% |
| North Carolina early in-person Democratic lead | Under 6 points | 12 points |
Source: University of Florida Election Lab; CNN Exit Poll (2022) and CNN early voting analysis of state data (November 2026); NBC News.
Early voting set a midterm record. The NBC News tracker shows 61.6 million early ballots against 45.9 million in all of 2022, a gain of about 34%. The University of Florida Election Lab said early voting passed the 2022 full-cycle total by October 30, with more than 46 million ballots. The 2022 CNN exit poll found that 38% of Democrats and 22% of Republicans voted by mail.
The mix shifted toward in-person early voting. North Carolina early in-person voting ran 36% above its 2022 pace at the same point, while mail voting ran 35% below it. Democrats led early in-person voters there by 12 points, up more than 6 points from 2022. Iowa and Ohio showed the same pattern. In-person voting outran mail voting, and mail voting leaned less Democratic than in the recent past.
2026 Mail Ballot Results by State: Which Party Won Mail Voters?
DEMOCRATIC SHARE OF MAIL VOTES (each █ = 4%)
Virginia ████████████████████ 80%
North Carolina ███████████████████ 76%
Texas ████████████████ 65%
Michigan ███████████████ 61%
| State | Senate Winner | Democratic Share of Mail Votes | Mail Share of Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | Mark Warner | 80% | 14% |
| North Carolina | Roy Cooper | 76% | 3% |
| Texas | James Talarico | 65% | 3% |
| Michigan | Abdul El-Sayed | 61% | 35% |
Source: NBC News 2026 state Senate results and exit poll data by voting method.
Mail voters backed Democrats in every state in the table. Virginia mail voters gave Mark Warner 80% of their votes, the highest figure here. North Carolina mail voters gave Roy Cooper 76%. Texas mail voters gave James Talarico 65%. Michigan mail voters gave Abdul El-Sayed 61%.
Mail ballots made up very different shares of each electorate. Mail voters were 35% of Michigan’s vote and 14% of Virginia’s. They were only 3% in North Carolina and Texas. Michigan shows the mail effect clearly. Secretary of State results show 1,185,018 counted mail ballots, and Democrat Garlin Gilchrist took 64% of them. A larger mail share gave Democrats a bigger bank of votes before polls opened.
2026 Early In-Person Voting Results: How Did Early Voters Choose in Texas, North Carolina and Virginia?
DEMOCRATIC SHARE OF EARLY IN-PERSON VOTES (each █ = 4%)
North Carolina ████████████████ 64%
Virginia ████████████████ 64%
South Carolina ███████████████ 59%
Texas ██████████████ 57%
Michigan █████████████ 54%
| State | Early In-Person Share of Vote | Democratic Share of Early In-Person Votes | Democratic Candidate |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 64% | 64% | Roy Cooper |
| Virginia | 32% | 64% | Mark Warner |
| South Carolina | 50% | 59% | Annie Andrews |
| Texas | 75% | 57% | James Talarico |
| Michigan | 16% | 54% | Abdul El-Sayed |
Source: NBC News 2026 state Senate results and exit poll data by voting method.
Early in-person voting leaned Democratic in all five states. North Carolina and Virginia voters gave Democrats 64% each. South Carolina early in-person voters gave Annie Andrews 59%. Texas early voters gave Talarico 57%. Michigan early in-person voters gave El-Sayed 54%.
The share of the electorate also varied. Early in-person voters were 75% of Texas voters, 64% in North Carolina, 50% in South Carolina, 32% in Virginia and 16% in Michigan. Talarico won 55.1% statewide to Ken Paxton’s 43.0%, and early in-person voters formed three-quarters of that electorate. Virginia counted 1,306,305 early in-person votes, which was 37% of its total.
2026 Election Day Voting Results: Did Republicans Win Election Day Votes?
ELECTION DAY SHARE OF TOTAL VOTE (each █ = 4%)
Virginia ██████████████ 54%
Michigan ████████████ 48%
South Carolina ████████████ 47%
North Carolina ████████ 33%
Texas █████ 22%
| State | Election Day Share of Vote | Election Day Leader | Final Senate Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 54% (1,931,002 votes) | Warner (D) 56% | Warner 61.2%, Mizusawa 38.6% |
| Michigan | 48% | Rogers (R) 54% | El-Sayed 52.5%, Rogers 45.5% |
| South Carolina | 47% | Republican candidate 55% | Andrews 51.1%, Republican 46.7% |
| North Carolina | 33% | Cooper (D) 49%, near-even | Cooper 58.7%, Whatley 39.1% |
| Texas | 22% | Paxton (R) 53% | Talarico 55.1%, Paxton 43.0% |
Source: NBC News 2026 state Senate results and exit poll data by voting method.
Election Day voters leaned Republican in most states with clear data. Michigan Election Day voters gave Republican Mike Rogers 54%. South Carolina Election Day voters backed the Republican candidate with 55%. Texas Election Day voters gave Paxton 53%. Virginia broke the pattern, because Warner took 56% of 1,931,002 Election Day votes. North Carolina split nearly even, with Cooper at 49%.
Election Day made up 54% of Virginia’s vote, 48% of Michigan’s, 47% of South Carolina’s, 33% of North Carolina’s and 22% of Texas’s. States with large Election Day shares kept races closer in the final count. Democrats still won all five Senate races in the table. The final column shows how early and mail margins outweighed the Election Day lead for Republicans.
2026 Party Differences by Voting Method: Democrats vs Republicans vs Unaffiliated Voters
SHARE OF EARLY BALLOTS BY PARTY REGISTRATION, OCT 30 (each █ = 2%)
Democrats ██████████████████████ 43.9%
Republicans ████████████████ 31.3%
Unaffiliated ████████████ 24.8%
| Measure | Democrats | Republicans | Unaffiliated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early ballots, University of Florida, Oct 30, 2026 | 43.9% | 31.3% | 24.8% |
| Early ballots, On Point, Nov 5, 2026 (party-reporting states) | 39.5% | 32.4% | Not reported |
| Registered voters who voted early, Nov 1, 2026 | More than 11 million | About 8 million | Not reported |
| National early voters, 2022 | 43% | 34% | Not reported |
| Voted by mail, 2022 exit poll | 38% | 22% | Not reported |
| Florida early ballots, 2026 | 37.8% | 40.1% | 22.1% |
Source: University of Florida Election Lab; On Point Politics 2026 Early Vote Tracker; U.S. Elections Project (2022); CNN Exit Poll (2022).
Party registration data shows who voted early, not how they voted. Registered Democrats cast 43.9% of early ballots in the University of Florida data on October 30. Registered Republicans cast 31.3%, and unaffiliated voters cast 24.8%. The On Point tracker shows Democrats at 39.5% and Republicans at 32.4%. By November 1, more than 11 million registered Democrats and about 8 million registered Republicans had voted early.
The 2022 benchmark shows Democrats led then too, by 43% to 34% in national early ballots. Mail voting split sharply by party in 2022, with 38% of Democrats and 22% of Republicans voting by mail. Florida reversed the national pattern in 2026. Republicans cast 40.1% of its early ballots, Democrats cast 37.8%, and unaffiliated voters cast 22.1%.
2026 Early Vote by State: California, Texas, Florida and Washington Mail and In-Person Totals
MAIL SHARE OF EARLY BALLOTS (each █ = 5%)
Washington ████████████████████ 100.0%
California █████████████████ 85.5%
Florida ████████ 37.5%
Texas █ 3.7%
| State | Total Ballots | In Person | Mail Share | Share of 2022 Turnout | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 9,939,609 | 8,496,101 | 1,443,508 | 85.5% | 89.2% |
| Texas | 6,857,566 | 255,521 | 6,602,045 | 3.7% | 84.1% |
| Florida | 5,545,623 | 2,077,526 | 3,468,097 | 37.5% | 71.1% |
| Washington | 3,045,918 | 3,045,918 | 0 | 100.0% | 99.3% |
Source: On Point Politics 2026 Early Vote Tracker (November 5, 2026), based on official state and county counts.
California led with 9,939,609 ballots, equal to 89.2% of its 2022 turnout, and 85.5% came by mail. Texas followed with 6,857,566 ballots, 84.1% of 2022 turnout, with only 3.7% by mail. Florida counted 5,545,623 ballots, 71.1% of 2022 turnout, with 37.5% by mail.
Washington counted 3,045,918 ballots, 99.3% of its 2022 turnout, all by mail because it runs an all-mail system. These four states show that US Midterm Election Results by Voting Method depend on state law as much as voter preference. All-mail states report mail totals. Texas reports in-person totals. Florida splits the two. National mail and in-person totals shift as large states report.
2026 Virginia and Michigan Counted Ballots by Voting Method: Votes, Shares and Democratic Margins
VIRGINIA SENATE VOTES BY METHOD (each █ = 100,000 votes)
Election Day ███████████████████ 1,931,002
Early in person █████████████ 1,306,305
Early by mail ███ 331,372
| Race and Method | Counted Votes | Share of Counted Vote | Democratic Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Senate, Election Day | 1,931,002 | 54% | 56% |
| Virginia Senate, early in person | 1,306,305 | 37% | 65% |
| Virginia Senate, early by mail | 331,372 | 9% | 80% |
| Michigan Secretary of State, early by mail | 1,185,018 | 25% | 64% |
| Michigan Secretary of State, early in person | 508,348 | 11% | 54% |
| Michigan Secretary of State, Election Day | Not published | 32% | Republican led with 52% |
Source: NBC News 2026 Virginia Senate and Michigan Secretary of State results by vote type (November 5, 2026).
Virginia gives the cleanest look at US Midterm Election Results by Voting Method because it counted all 3,568,679 votes by type. Election Day voters cast 1,931,002 votes, or 54%, and gave Warner 56%. Early in-person voters cast 1,306,305 votes, or 37%, and gave him 65%. Mail voters cast 331,372 votes, or 9%, and gave him 80%. The gap between Election Day and mail support reached 24 points.
Michigan had counted 68% of its vote by type when the data was captured. Mail ballots led that count with 1,185,018 votes, or 25%, and Gilchrist took 64%. Early in-person voters cast 508,348 votes, or 11%, and gave him 54%. Election Day voters made up 32% of the counted vote, and the Republican candidate led them with 52%. The Election Day share will grow as counties finish reporting, so these Michigan shares can still move.
2026 Exit Poll Results and Voting Method: What Voters Said Behind the Ballots
2026 EXIT POLL READINGS (each █ = 5%)
Government corruption a major factor ██████████████████ about 90%
Dissatisfied with country direction ███████████████ about 75%
President a factor in House vote ████████████ about 60%
Presidential approval ████████ 38%
| Exit Poll Measure | Reading | Method Link |
|---|---|---|
| Presidential approval | 38% | Lowest for a midterm in early exit polls |
| Voters at least dissatisfied with the country’s direction | About 75% | Asked of all voters, any method |
| Voters citing government corruption as a major factor | About 90% | Close to the cost of living figure |
| Voters saying the president was a factor in their House vote | About 60% | Asked of all voters, any method |
| Virginia exit poll method mix | Election Day 54%, early in person 32%, mail 14% | Counted mix was 54%, 37% and 9% |
Source: CBS News Exit Poll 2026 (November 3-4, 2026); NBC News exit poll data by voting method.
The exit poll readings show a sour electorate across every voting method. Early results put presidential approval at 38%, below the figure for 2018 and for 2006. About 75% of voters were at least dissatisfied with the direction of the country. About 90% called government corruption a major factor, close to the share who named the cost of living. About 60% said the president was a factor in their House vote.
Exit polls measure voting method with some error. Pollsters interview voters at polling places and early voting sites, then add phone and online responses to reach mail voters. Virginia shows the gap. The exit poll put mail voters at 14% and early in-person voters at 32%, while the counted ballots show 9% and 37%. Election Day matched at 54% in both. Treat exit poll method splits as estimates and counted ballots as the benchmark.
US Midterm Election Results by Voting Method 2026 – Frequently Asked Questions
How Many People Voted by Mail in the 2026 Midterm Elections?
NBC News counts 28.3 million mail ballots through November 5, 2026. On Point Politics counts 31.8 million across 47 reporting states. Totals differ because states report on different schedules.
How Many People Voted Early in Person in the 2026 Midterm Elections?
NBC News counts 33.3 million early in-person votes. On Point Politics counts 30.0 million. The University of Florida Election Lab counted 29 million by November 1, 2026.
How Many Total Early Votes Were Cast in the 2026 Midterms?
The NBC News tracker shows 61,559,458 early ballots. That beats the 45.9 million early ballots from the entire 2022 midterm cycle by about 34%.
Which Party Won the Mail Vote in the 2026 Midterms?
Democrats won mail voters in every state covered in this report. Virginia gave Warner 80% of mail votes, North Carolina gave Cooper 76%, Texas gave Talarico 65% and Michigan gave El-Sayed 61%.
Did Republicans Win Election Day Votes in 2026?
Republicans led Election Day votes in Michigan (54%), South Carolina (55%) and Texas (53%). Democrats led Election Day votes in Virginia (56%). North Carolina split nearly even.
Did Early Voting Favor Democrats in 2026?
Early voting favored Democrats in the states with published data. Early in-person voters gave Democrats 64% in North Carolina and Virginia, 59% in South Carolina, 57% in Texas and 54% in Michigan. Registered Democrats cast 43.9% of early ballots.
Which States Used Mail Voting the Most in 2026?
Washington counted 100% mail ballots, 3,045,918 in all. California counted 85.5% by mail. Texas counted just 3.7%.
What Share of Texas Voters Voted Early in Person in 2026?
Early in-person voters were 75% of the Texas electorate, and mail voters were 3%. Election Day voters were 22%.
Do 2026 Exit Polls Count Mail Voters?
Yes, through phone and online interviews.
Who Controls Congress After the 2026 Midterm Elections?
Democrats won control of both chambers, according to CBS News projections and the AP count. Preliminary AP results show 53 Democratic and 42 Republican Senate seats, and Democrats hold more than 220 House seats.
Why Do Early Vote Totals Differ Between Trackers in 2026?
Trackers use different state feeds, update at different times and treat late-arriving mail ballots differently. The NBC News total is 61,559,458 and the On Point total is 61,760,164, a gap of 200,706.
When Will 2026 Midterm Election Results Become Official?
States certify results over the coming weeks. California and Washington accept mail ballots postmarked by Election Day, so final counts there take days.
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.