Voting restriction worries push 47 million voters early to the polls

The national conversation around voting regulations and restrictions has pushed many midterm voters, primarily Democrats, to the polls early, experts say.

From legal battles led by the Trump administration regarding proposed mail-in ballot restrictions to recent gerrymandering concerns, voters are opting to cast their ballots early and in-person.

“I don’t agree with what’s going on; I want to see that change, which is why I’m here early,” said Yahayra Castellano, a 23-year-old Maryland native who voted early and in person.

Anxieties prompt early voting turnouts

Nationwide, early and absentee voting began in late-September with most in-person polls opening in mid-October.

Midterm elections historically have not drawn large voter turnouts compared to presidential elections. But this year is different.

As of Oct. 30, nearly 48 million early votes have been cast, according to the University of Florida Election Lab. Many states are seeing early voter turnout increases of over 40% in comparison to 2022. States with key senate and house races like Georgia, North Carolina, Florida and Texas are showing increases of over 50%, with Texas sitting at 76.8%.

Robert Goldman, president of Montgomery Housing Partnership and longtime Maryland resident, said that he has been voting early as long as he can remember. Goldman said he prefers the certainty that handing your ballot over in person brings.

“Once I realized that ‘by mail’ is not as reliable and it’s not counted until the very end, I decided to vote early,” Goldman said.

For Castellano, the choice to vote in-person is routine.

Castellano said that while Trump’s attempt at changing mail-in ballot processes had more influence on her decision this year, she is still “confident with the election process” and believes that “early voting could help.”

Different parties, different faith in outcome

“This year, there have definitely been a lot of concerns about vote-by-mail,” said Michelle Kanter Cohen, policy director and senior counsel for the Fair Elections Center, a nonpartisan voting rights and election reform advocacy organization.

Voter confidence has dropped across party lines, according to an August survey by the Pew Research Center. Only 55% of American voters are reportedly confident in the fairness and accuracy of the elections, a steady decrease from 61% in 2024 and 64% in 2022.

Additionally, confidence in mail-in ballots has dropped for Democratic voters from 85% in 2024 to 64%, according to Pew Research Center. Whereas confidence for Republican voters has slightly risen from 38% in 2024, it still remains fairly low this year at 42%.

Meanwhile, national and state-specific voting advocacy groups are working to combat election fears.

“One of the things that we’ve done is to just make sure that we emphasize things like mailing your ballot ahead of the deadline,” said Kanter Cohen.

Kanter Cohen said that the Fair Elections Center has also created both a 2026 midterms-specific and individualized voting guides for all 50 states.

Other organizations have similarly followed suit, with some advocacy groups posting misinformation explainers to clarify what changes were proposed versus those that passed or failed.

“One of the focuses in my department is really on removing informational barriers,” said Kanter Cohen. “That really goes to the point of making sure people have the information that they need to be able to exercise their voting rights.”

Regardless of the confusion and concerns, voters are continuing to put their trust in the elections system.

“I am confident in the integrity of the voting system. Absolutely,” said Goldman.

Goldman said that while the legal challenges to the election process have made him “nervous,” like Castellano, he remains “confident in Maryland and Montgomery County’s voting system.”