More than 50 million early votes cast before US midterms

· Politics · United States

More than 50 million Americans have cast ballots in early voting with three days to go before the midterm elections, a record pace compared with the last such vote, with Democrats outnumbering Republicans in states that publish party registration data. Control of Congress is at stake in a series of tight contests. The campaign's final weekend was marked by legal fights: the Trump administration pressed a criminal investigation into Alaska's pivotal Senate race and said it would likely take its fight over California mail-in ballots to the Supreme Court, while a federal judge ordered the administration to stop threatening to prosecute election officials. Ad spending is set to top $11 billion, the most expensive midterms ever, though Spanish-language advertising has fallen sharply.

Why it matters：The outcome will decide whether the White House faces a divided or allied Congress, shaping US policy on taxes, health care, trade and regulation for the rest of the term.

Key points

  • Early turnout has already surpassed the 2022 midterms, with Democrats ahead in states that report party data.
  • The administration is pressing a criminal probe into Alaska's Senate race and may take the California ballot fight to the Supreme Court.
  • Ad spending is set to top $11 billion, the most expensive midterms on record.

Sources (original reporting)

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