If you’re waiting until the week before the midterms to start working to elect candidates or to contribute to campaigns, you might want to think again. Early voting has already started in six states. Several more states are initiating voting opportunities even as you read this.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in the 2020 election, 69% of voters nationwide cast their ballot by mail and/or before Election Day, the highest rate of nontraditional voting for a presidential election. The percentage rose almost 30 percent from the 2016 election.
These states began the early voting process in September:
- Minnesota – Sept. 23
- South Dakota – Sept. 23
- Virginia – Sept. 23
- Wyoming – Sept. 23
- Illinois – Sept. 29
- Michigan – Sept. 29
Some of these states have extremely important races for U.S. Congress and Senate. In Illinois, two Congressional Districts are open races. Democrat Nikki Budzinski is vulnerable but can win IL-13, which is rated Lean D. In IL-17, however, Democrat Eric Sorensen seriously lags behind the campaign contributions amassed by his Republican opponent, election-denier, anti-choice, pro-gun lobby Esther Joy King.
The new VA-02 district of incumbent Congresswoman Elaine Luria is a true battleground (R+2) and rated a Tossup by Cook. VA-07 incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger is running in a district that is now rated only D+1.
And in Michigan, two Congressional races are close but winnable for Democrats. Hillary Scholten is running in MI-03 in a Lean D race against a newcomer who beat the Republican incumbent in the primary. And in MI-04, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin is facing tough competition from a 100% prolife Republican. Both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) have prioritized this race.
The following states have scheduled early voting to start this week:
- Maine – Oct. 9
- California – Oct. 10
- Montana – Oct. 11
- Nebraska – Oct. 11
- New Mexico – Oct. 11
- Arizona – Oct. 12
- Indiana – Oct. 12
- Ohio – Oct. 12
Arizona’s Mark Kelly is in a Tossup race against Blake Masters, a Republican who has been endorsed by a prominent white supremacist. And a tough redistricting map in Arizona has meant trouble for U.S. House Dems. In AZ-01, Democrat Jevin Hodge running in a Tossup race for an open seat; incumbent Tom O’Halleran (AZ-02) is in a race rated Lean R by Cook Political Report; and AZ-06 is open, with Democrat Kirsten Engel running against a staunch anti-abortion candidate in a Lean R district.
The race for U.S. Senate in Ohio obviously has grabbed headlines with U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan taking on author J.D. Vance in a nail-biter. But there also are three Congressional Districts to pay attention to. Greg Landsman is in a Tossup race against a Republican incumbent in OH-01. Incumbent Marcy Kaptur’s OH-09 is a Lean D race. An open seat in OH-13 is a Tossup, with Emilia Sykes running for Tim Ryan’s current seat.
Twenty-four additional states have early voting beginning in mid- to late-October:
- Georgia – Oct. 17
- Iowa, Kansas, Rhode Island, Tennessee – Oct. 19
- North Carolina – Oct. 20
- Washington – Oct. 21
- Massachusetts, Nevada – Oct. 22
- Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, Texas – Oct. 24
- Hawaii, Missouri, Louisiana, Utah – Oct. 25
- West Virginia – Oct. 26
- Maryland – Oct. 27
- Delaware – Oct. 28
- Florida, New Jersey, New York – Oct. 29
The point is this: Aa good many voters got used to voting by mail or dropping off ballots at collection points during Covid. Many seem to prefer to continue this way of participating in elections.
This means voters are making up their minds earlier than they used to, which signifies that the texting, calling, letter writing, canvassing and donations are extremely crucial now rather than later. So whatever time or money you’ve been considering expending on behalf of the continued existence of our democracy, the time to do it is now.
