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.

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.

“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.