politics

What We Know About the Midterm Race With 4 Days Left to Vote

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· politics

Voters dropping ballots into an election drop box outside a polling location
Photo by Sora Shimazaki / Pexels · source

Nearly 45 million Americans have already cast ballots with four days left before the 2026 midterm elections, and that early-voting total has already surpassed where turnout stood at the same point in the 2022 midterms, according to ABC News.

The network's "State of the Race" report, published Oct. 30, 2026, tracks the final stretch of a campaign that includes presidential rallies, a contested Senate race in Alaska, and fresh disputes between the Trump administration and state election officials. ABC News did not provide a state-by-state breakdown of the early-vote total or cite a specific 2022 comparison figure in its report, so the exact size of the gap between this cycle and the last midterm is not yet public.

How many people have voted early, and how does that compare with 2022?

ABC News reported the nearly 45 million early ballots logged so far nationwide already exceed the pace set four years ago, when control of Congress was last on the ballot in a midterm year. The network's report frames the surge as a signal of engagement heading into Tuesday's vote, but it does not break the number down by state, party registration, or method of voting. Local election offices, not national networks, are the authoritative source for ballot deadlines and drop-off locations in any given state or county.

What is happening on the campaign trail this week?

President Trump's weekend rallies, which had been canceled, are back on, according to a source cited in ABC News coverage. Trump was reported campaigning in South Carolina as of Oct. 29, even as the Alaska Senate race drew separate national attention. House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries were also described crossing the country on the campaign trail in the race's final days, per ABC News' own listing of its midterm segments.

One unnamed former Republican official, in a clip aired by ABC News, said polling is "not looking good for Republicans" heading into Tuesday. The network did not identify the official by name or cite specific polling figures alongside the remark.

"Polls 'not looking good for Republicans'" — former GOP politician, in comments aired by ABC News, Oct. 30, 2026

What legal and security questions are swirling around the vote?

Several states have pushed back on claims from the Trump administration about noncitizen voting, ABC News reported, though the network's segment description does not name which states or detail the specific claims being disputed. Separately, the Justice Department has widened an elections-related investigation in California, according to another ABC News segment, and a third report from the network examined election cybersecurity concerns heading into Tuesday. Those threads — the noncitizen-voting dispute and the DOJ's California inquiry — are running alongside each other in the campaign's closing days, based on ABC News' Oct. 30 roundup of midterm coverage. None of the three reports, as cataloged on the network's video page, include additional detail such as named plaintiffs, specific California counties, or the cybersecurity vulnerabilities under review.

What is happening in Alaska's Senate race?

Alaska's Senate race has "sparked investigations" as Trump campaigned in South Carolina, ABC News reported Oct. 29. HTT News has reported separately on Marc Elias's role in the race, one of several contests drawing outside legal and political involvement as both parties fight for control of the Senate. The Alaska contest sits alongside the California investigation and the noncitizen-voting dispute as one of three distinct legal flashpoints identified in ABC News' midterm coverage this week.

What should voters watch for before Tuesday?

  • Early voting totals: Nearly 45 million ballots are already in, ahead of the 2022 pace, per ABC News.
  • Campaign stops: Trump's weekend rallies are back on after being canceled, with Johnson and Jeffries also traveling the country, according to ABC News.
  • Legal fights: Watch for developments in the DOJ's widened California elections investigation and in state responses to the administration's noncitizen-voting claims, both tracked by ABC News.
  • Key races: Alaska's Senate contest remains a flashpoint, with HTT News detailing Marc Elias's involvement.
  • Cybersecurity: ABC News has reported ongoing assessments of election-system threats heading into Election Day.

None of the figures or claims in ABC News' Oct. 30 report were broken out by state, party, or underlying polling data in the material published with the video. Voters seeking ballot deadlines, drop-box locations, or registration status should check directly with their state or county election office rather than relying on national network reporting for logistics.

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Questions

How many people have voted early in the 2026 midterms?

Nearly 45 million ballots had been cast as of Oct. 30, 2026, according to ABC News, which said that figure already exceeds early-voting totals from the same point in 2022.

Is early voting ahead of or behind the 2022 midterm pace?

ABC News reported early voting is ahead of the 2022 pace, though it did not publish a specific 2022 comparison number or a state-by-state breakdown.

Sources

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