5.4 Million Florida Votes Cast Early

5.4 million Florida voters have already cast ballots for the 2026 midterm elections. This total represents nearly 40 percent of the state’s 13.7 million registered voters. The Division of Elections reported these figures on Monday as in-person early voting locations closed for the final time on Sunday.

Partisan breakdowns show distinct patterns in voter participation. Republicans, who hold a 1.5 million lead in registered voters, have cast 1.5 million ballots at early voting sites and 679,000 by mail. This accounts for 38.2 percent of registered GOP voters. Democrats have cast 1.2 million early in-person ballots and 832,000 by mail. That total equals 49 percent of registered Democrats. Non-affiliated voters have turned out at a lower rate, with 31 percent of the 3.3 million registered independents voting. This group accounts for 382,000 mail ballots and 669,000 in-person votes.

Nikki Fried, the Florida Democratic Party chairwoman, emphasized the high turnout among her party’s base. She stated in an email sent Monday morning that Democrats are showing up at rates not seen in years. Fried, who won the agriculture commissioner race in 2018, expressed confidence that maintaining this energy through Election Day will help Democrats reclaim the state. Republicans have controlled the Florida Legislature since 1996 and the governor’s office since 1999. However, they did not surpass Democrats in registered voter numbers until 2021.

Byron Donalds, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, anticipates a large turnout on Election Day. During an interview on the Florida Unwired podcast, Donalds expressed pride in the party’s efforts. He noted that many Republican voters typically wait until Tuesday to cast their ballots. Donalds said the party will stay focused as they expect a significant surge in final-day votes. In the 2022 midterms, Republican turnout exceeded Democratic turnout by approximately 600,000 voters.

The 5.4 million votes recorded Monday morning already exceed historical benchmarks for this stage of the election cycle. This number is 69 percent of the total turnout recorded in the 2022 midterms. It also represents 62 percent of the turnout from the 2018 midterms. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. across the state on Tuesday.

County elections officials plan to begin posting early vote and mail-in ballot totals approximately 30 minutes after polls close. The state Division of Elections will start publishing election results after 8 p.m. This timing follows the close of polls at 7 p.m. in the Central Time Zone, which covers the western Panhandle counties.