43M Ballots Cast in Midterm Early Voting Surge

More than 43 million Americans have already voted with less than a week to go, BBC reports, citing University of Florida Election Lab data. That's four to five million ballots a day, more than I can get to show up for a county commissioners meeting.

Texas has pulled over 5.8 million ballots in, around 1.75 million more than its 2022 pace, and Texans clearly don't believe in waiting. Democrats cast 44% of early ballots from states tracking party affiliation, Republicans 31.2%. Minneapolis set a record for a non-presidential election, more enthusiasm than I've ever seen for a county road bond.

Back home we say don't count your chickens before they hatch, and the cable pundits have already counted every one of them. The data doesn't say who people picked, which has never once slowed a talking head down.