Early in-person voting begins in the 2026 US midterm elections in Virginia

Virginia leads the way for in-person voting, reflecting a nationwide trend towards casting ballots before Election Day.

Voters walk into Maplewood City Hall on the first day of early voting in Minnesota, Friday, September 18, 2026, in Maplewood, Minn [Ellen Schmidt/AP]

Virginia has kicked off in-person voting for the 2026 United States midterm elections, as voters there become among the first in the country to cast ballots in this year’s congressional and state elections.

The start of early voting on Friday – critical in deciding who controls the House and the Senate for the remainder of US President Donald Trump’s term – reflects a 25-year expansion effort by states to cast ballots before Election Day on November 3.

list 1 of 3 Why are election officials in the US preparing for chaos before midterms?

list 2 of 3 What to know about US Federal Reserve’s first interest rate hike in 3 years

list 3 of 3 US voter opposition to war on Iran grows to new highs: Poll

“Why not just have a little fun in life, you know, try to be the first early voter?” said college student Sanya Singhal, who was among the first to vote early in person in Virginia. “I really want to participate in my democracy.”

The number of states offering options to vote before November expanded from 24 in 2000 to 47 in 2026, plus Washington, in the District of Columbia. But early-voting periods, eligibility requirements, and procedures vary widely by state.

Virginia , where early voting began Friday, expanded weekend early voting and dropped its absentee witness requirement. Mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day can now arrive by noon three days after Election Day.

Voters in a few other states, including Minnesota and South Dakota, can cast absentee ballots in person, typically at a local election office or voting centre. And North Carolina began mailing absentee ballots on September 4 to voters who requested them. More expansive early voting is scheduled to begin in those and other states in the coming weeks.

Mail-in voting is particularly significant this year, as the Trump administration has brought multiple legal challenges seeking to restrict its use. In June , the Supreme Court ruled that federal law does not override state laws allowing certain postmarked absentee ballots to arrive after Election Day, leaving existing state deadlines in place.

A Supreme Court ruling this week blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to impose new federal restrictions on mail voting, leaving state laws in place for the midterms. The proposed changes included standardised ballot envelopes and a federal system for verifying voter eligibility.

The Postal Service has nevertheless advised voters who use mail ballots to send them earlier rather than later.

弗吉尼亚州在现场投票方面走在前列，反映了全国范围内在选举日之前投票的趋势。

2026年9月18日星期五，明尼苏达州梅普尔伍德市，选民们走进市政厅，参加该州提前投票的第一天。[Ellen Schmidt/AP]

弗吉尼亚州已启动 2026 年美国中期选举的现场投票，该州选民成为美国首批在今年国会和州选举中投票的选民之一。

周五开始的提前投票对于决定美国总统唐纳德·特朗普剩余任期内谁将控制众议院和参议院至关重要，这反映了各州25年来为扩大提前投票范围所做的努力，允许选民在11月3日选举日之前投票。

问题 1/3：为什么美国选举官员在中期选举前要为混乱局面做准备？

列表 2/3：关于美联储三年来首次加息，你需要了解的三件事

民调显示，美国选民反对对伊朗开战的呼声再创新高：3项指标中的第3项。

“为什么不让生活更有趣一点呢？比如说，争取成为第一个提前投票的人？”大学生桑娅·辛格尔说道，她是弗吉尼亚州首批亲自提前投票的选民之一。“我真的很想参与到我的民主进程中来。”

允许在11月之前进行提前投票的州数量从2000年的24个增加到2026年的47个，外加华盛顿特区。但各州的提前投票时间、资格要求和程序差异很大。

弗吉尼亚州于上周五开始提前投票，扩大了周末提前投票范围，并取消了缺席投票见证人要求。选举日当天盖邮戳的邮寄选票现在可以在选举日后三天中午前送达。

包括明尼苏达州和南达科他州在内的其他几个州的选民可以亲自前往当地选举办公室或投票中心投递缺席选票。北卡罗来纳州已于9月4日开始向申请的选民邮寄缺席选票。未来几周，这些州和其他一些州将启动更大规模的提前投票。

今年邮寄投票尤为重要，因为特朗普政府已提起多项法律诉讼，试图限制其使用。6月，最高法院裁定，联邦法律不凌驾于各州法律之上，各州允许某些盖有邮戳的缺席选票在选举日后送达，因此各州现有的截止日期仍然有效。

本周，最高法院的一项裁决阻止了唐纳德·特朗普总统试图对邮寄投票施加新的联邦限制，这意味着中期选举仍将沿用各州的法律。拟议的变更包括使用标准化的选票信封和建立一套联邦选民资格核实系统。

不过，邮政部门建议使用邮寄选票的选民尽早寄出选票。