More than 10 million people have cast mail-in ballots ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections, according to an election monitoring project.
The project, which is managed by University of Florida professor Michael McDonald, tracks early voting activity among states that have reported data. Texas, California, Florida, and Georgia have reported more than 1.5 million in-person and mail-in votes as of Oct. 27, the project numbers show.
“It does seem very robust, early voting … I think we’re looking at more like a 2018 election, definitely,” McDonald told ABC News on Oct. 24, referring to the high turnout.
More than three dozen states have already opened early voting. For the 2022 midterms, early voting phases range from 46 days to three days before Election Day, the National Conference of State Legislatures says.
Georgia has two key races, including for the U.S. Senate and governor’s office. Incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) is facing Republican Herschel Walker, a former NFL and college football star, while Gov. Brian Kemp is facing a rematch with Democrat activist Stacey Abrams.
Republicans are favored by analysts and betting oddsmakers to win the House in the Nov. 8 elections, buoyed by frustration over the lackadaisical economy and decades-high inflation. Democrats are attempting to hold their ground and are relying heavily on campaign messaging around abortion.
If Republicans take just five seats, they can win back a majority in the House. In recent decades, the party that has held the White House has lost congressional seats during midterm elections.
Should the GOP prevail in the lower chamber, members of the Republican caucus would elect a new House speaker. They will also run each House committee and decide what bills will make it to the House floor. It’s also likely that the Democrat-dominated House Jan. 6 select committee, which has two Republicans who won’t be reelected during the midterms, will come to an end.
Republicans also only need a net gain of one seat to take control of the Senate, which currently stands at 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as a tie-breaker. If the GOP takes control of that chamber, Republicans could easily stymie President Joe Biden’s agenda and could block or delay the passage of bills as well as Biden’s executive branch and judicial nominees.
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