Early in-person voting for the US midterm elections begins Friday, opening six weeks of voting before the November 3 election. The contest will determine whether Republicans retain their majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate, while also featuring races for governor and state legislatures in most states.
Virginia is the first state mentioned as beginning in-person early voting. Voters in Idaho, Minnesota and South Dakota can cast absentee ballots in person, usually at election offices or voting centres, and broader early-voting opportunities are scheduled to start in more states in the coming weeks.
The election is taking place amid public concern about rising gas and grocery prices, the war in Iran, risks associated with artificial intelligence and President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign. If Democrats regain control of Congress, the final two years of Trump’s term could bring a different political direction, including investigations and increased congressional oversight, according to the supplied report.
Election administrators say they are prepared and confident that voting will be accurate and secure. At the same time, the report says Trump has continued challenging some voting methods and seeking changes to election administration, including through court action, a federal effort focused on noncitizen voters and pressure on officials to share sensitive voter information.
The early-voting period also follows an unusual wave of mid-decade congressional redistricting. The report says the process began after Trump urged Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional map to benefit the party, with California and other states subsequently making changes. Research cited in the report indicates that one in 10 Americans lives in a different congressional district this autumn than in 2024.
David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation and Research said he expected Trump could continue what he called a “disinformation campaign” and attacks on election officials, but believed the voting process would withstand those pressures. Voting-rights advocate Hannah Fried encouraged early voting as a way to provide flexibility and reduce Election Day lines. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon likewise said the state’s elections were free, fair, accurate, honest and secure.