More than 43 million ballots cast so far in midterms early voting surge

With less than a week to go until the US midterm elections, which will determine which party controls Congress for the next two years, more than 43 million Americans have already voted.

Data from the University of Florida Election Lab indicates that four to five million early votes have been cast each day, representing a much higher rate than in most previous elections.

Texas has seen the highest above-average turnout rate so far, says Prof Mike McDonald, who runs the Election Lab database. Hispanic communities are also seeing a much higher turnout than usual.

Overall turnout appears on track to outpace 2020, or even 2018, which beat the 1914 record for overall turnout in a midterm election.