22OCT

Virginia and Idaho open early voting

1 min read

20:36UTC

Virginia, Minnesota, South Dakota and Idaho opened in-person early voting on 18 September, as Michigan and Wisconsin sent out postal ballots and Florida logged its first overseas returns.

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PoliticsAssessed

Key takeaway

Americans are now voting in person in four states, so rulings land on ballots already cast.

In-person early voting opened on 18 September in Virginia, Minnesota, South Dakota and Idaho, 46 days before the 3 November election⁠¹. Virginia has added two Sunday voting days for 2026, 18 and 25 October, on top of its usual Saturdays⁠².

Michigan's general-election ballots began going out on 19 September, and Wisconsin clerks had to send absentee ballots to voters with requests on file by 17 September⁠³. Those follow North Carolina's first ballots on 4 September and Georgia's first overseas ballots on 15 September.

Florida had received about 150 of nearly 200,000 overseas and military ballots by 21 September: 63 from Democrats, 39 from Republicans and 26 from unaffiliated voters⁠⁴. Its domestic mail ballots follow between 24 September and 1 October.

Every court order from here lands on votes already cast somewhere. Missouri's map fight and the suits over ICE at polling places now run against ballots in hand rather than a printing deadline.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

Voting for November's election has started in several states. In-person early voting opened on 18 September in Virginia, Minnesota, South Dakota and Idaho. Michigan began mailing out ballots on 19 September, and election clerks in Wisconsin had to get absentee ballots in the post by 17 September.

Deep Analysis

Root Causes

Each state sets its own early-voting and mail-ballot timeline in state law, so the spread of dates across Virginia, Minnesota, South Dakota, Idaho, Michigan and Wisconsin reflects six separate statutory schedules rather than any coordinated national calendar.

the Supreme Court's 2026 ruling in Watson v. RNC upheld state mail-ballot grace periods but did not standardise when ballots go out, so the underlying timing variation predates and survives that case.

Sources:Virginia Department of Elections·Center for Election Innovation and Research·Michigan Public

Mentions:Virginia →Minnesota →South Dakota →Idaho →Michigan →Wisconsin →Florida →Missouri →North Carolina →Watson v. RNC →Supreme Court of the United States →Georgia (U.S. state) →

First Reported In

Update #18 · Republicans spend first, Democrats hold cash

Virginia Department of Elections· 24 Sept 2026

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Causes and effects

Caused by

North Carolina posts the first ballots

North Carolina's first posted ballots on 4 September opened the sequence of states now voting that this batch extends.

Occurred 4 Sept 2026

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Georgia mails its first overseas ballots

Georgia's first overseas ballots on 15 September were the previous state to start voting before this batch opened.

Occurred 15 Sept 2026

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This Event

Virginia and Idaho open early voting

With ballots now being cast, every court order on maps or polling places lands on votes already in hand.

Led to

Arlington sues over armed men at polls

Virginians have voted in person since 18 September at the sites the suit covers.

Occurred 20 Oct 2026

Read story →

Different Perspectives

Judge Adolf Zeman, Alaska Superior Court

Zeman refused to dismiss the League of Women Voters, Alaska Black Caucus and ACLU of Alaska suit over the state giving DOJ its unredacted voter list. The privacy claims now go to evidence-gathering under the Alaska Constitution.

Judge Thomas Schroeder, US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina

Schroeder refused on 19 October to block the State Board of Elections rule that rejects mail ballots with an unsealed or missing inner envelope. He found the challengers had delayed and that relief was infeasible with voting under way, and pointed to notice-and-cure provisions as a safeguard.

Stephen Richer, Republican former Maricopa County recorder

Richer submitted a brief on 20 October supporting the voting groups on documentary proof of citizenship at registration. He takes no position on the separate 90-day voter-removal question.

Senate Leadership Fund

The Senate Leadership Fund began spending for interim Senator Darline Graham Nordone on 19 October, taking its South Carolina total to $4.06m, including $2.25m against Democrat Annie Andrews. Republicans are now paying to defend a seat in a state Donald Trump carried in 2024.

WinSenate, the ad-buying affiliate of Senate Majority PAC

WinSenate began buying Kansas airtime against Roger Marshall on 10 October and had reported $8.14m there by 20 October. Marshall held $922,088 in cash on 30 September and the NRSC gave him no party money in September, so the Democratic side is spending where the Republican committee has not.

County Board of Arlington County

Arlington says federal Polling Place Policies allowing armed agents at polling sites breach 18 USC 592, the 1865 ban on troops or armed men at an election. It reads Markwayne Mullin's 1 September remarks as confirming such a policy, and asks Judge Brinkema to keep armed federal staff from its polls and drop boxes.

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Editorial standards.