With the 2026 midterms three days away, early voting totals across several battleground states are running ahead of the last two midterm cycles, as voters decide not just control of Congress but 36 governorships — more than two-thirds of the nation's statehouses.

Georgia topped 1 million ballots cast before early voting closed on Oct. 30, with state officials reporting record turnout from the very first day. In Texas, roughly 4.5 million people voted in just the first seven days, a pace that outran the 2022 midterm though it still trailed the Beto O'Rourke-fueled 2018 cycle, according to Republican data analyst Derek Ryan's tracking cited by HPPR. Harris County alone set a single-day midterm turnout record with more than 127,000 ballots cast on day one.

Virginia had logged more than 870,000 early ballots as of Oct. 23, and a national tally reported that week put total early voting at roughly 14.3 million — already running ahead of both the 2018 and 2022 midterms at the equivalent point, per NPR's analysis.

Eight Governor's Races Up For Grabs

The surge in turnout comes as both parties pour money into an unusually deep field of competitive governor's races. Republicans currently hold 26 governorships to Democrats' 24, and 15 of this year's seats are open due to term limits or retirements. NBC News' early assessment flagged contests in Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin as genuinely close.

In Arizona, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is defending her seat in a state that has decided statewide races by razor-thin margins in recent cycles. Michigan's race is wide open after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's term-limited exit. Wisconsin's Tony Evers isn't running again, leaving Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany as the GOP front-runner. Georgia's contest is also an open seat, with term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp's exit setting up a Republican fight between Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Attorney General Chris Carr. Democrats, meanwhile, see opportunities to flip Iowa and Ohio now that Govs. Kim Reynolds and Mike DeWine are also off the ballot.

EIGHT STATES. EIGHT TOSS-UPS. ONE TUESDAY.

Strategists in both parties say the unusually large number of open seats — rather than any single marquee race — is what's driving the intensity of this year's turnout push, with both sides treating statehouse control as a proxy fight over redistricting power heading into 2028.

What's Next

Early and mail voting continues through the weekend in most states before polls open Tuesday morning. With early-vote totals already exceeding prior midterms in several states, officials are bracing for what could be one of the highest-turnout midterm elections in decades — results in the closest governor's races may not be final for days after polls close.