Overview
- State officials reported more than 188,000 in-person votes on the first day of early voting, about 53,000 higher than the first-day total in 2022 and nearly 200,000 votes when accepted absentee ballots are added.
- More than 130,000 absentee ballots have been issued while just over 10,000 have been accepted so far, a gap that reflects the timing of mail delivery and county processing.
- Election officials introduced a new step after electronic check-in that requires poll workers to handwrite each voter’s name on a numbered list to create an extra paper record, and voters said the step did not add significant time.
- Voters must still request absentee ballots in person through their county registrar before the late-October cutoff, finish early voting by the end of October, and vote in person on Election Day in early November.
- Secretary of State officials said the strong early turnout signals confidence in the system and election managers warned that high early participation could shape outcomes in competitive statewide and federal races while voters track their status on the state My Voter Page.