Midterms 2018: Record-breaking early voter turnout nearly doubles from 2014, six days before historic election

Chris Riotta
Updated
Early voter turnout in 2018 appears to have doubled from the previous midterm elections with a whopping 24m ballots cast six days before the November vote: AFP/Getty
Early voter turnout in 2018 appears to have doubled from the previous midterm elections with a whopping 24m ballots cast six days before the November vote: AFP/Getty

With one of the most crucial midterm elections in recent US history less than a week away, early voter turnout appears to have nearly doubled from 2014, shattering records along the way.

The 2014 midterms saw 12,938,596 total votes cast with six days before the elections, compared to 24,024,621 total votes cast by Wednesday.

Meanwhile, battleground states like Texas – where progressive candidates like Beto O’Rourke have threatened to unseat Republican incumbents like Ted Cruz – have seen record-level early voter turnout ahead of Election Day.

The 2018 figures are atypical for midterm elections, which generally see far fewer ballots during early voting and on Election Day; in fact, this year’s early voter turnout is more comparable to a presidential election season.

For example, 2016, saw just over 29m votes cast with six days to go until the election.

Records have been shattered across the country, including in the Lone Star state where Harris County saw the largest number of voters on the first day of early voting ever, casting more than 63,000 ballots.

Both Democrats and Republicans alike have been casting their ballots early, with 43 per cent of the total early voter turnout being Republican voters and 41 per cent being Democrats, according to NBC News.

Those levels are comparable to 2016, which saw 43 per cent of Democrats and 40 per cent of Republicans making up the total turnout with just six days left until the election.

Donald Trump has scheduled nearly a dozen remaining rallies nationwide to campaign for conservative lawmakers who support his “America First” agenda, and reportedly plans to continue injecting himself into local races ahead of the midterms.

A surge of energy appears to have swept over Democratic voters, according to the latest generic ballot polling, which shows the minority party holding a 17-point edge in the upcoming elections.