Early Voting and Mail Ballot Turnout Trends Point to 2020 Replay

A VOTE flag waves in Duluth, Ga., on Oct. 17, 2022, the first day of early voting in the state where more than 740,600 voters had already cast ballots in the Nov. 8 midterm election as of Oct. 23, 2022. Megan Varner/Getty Images

Nationwide early voting and vote-by-mail turnout trends for the 2022 midterm election reflect a pattern similar to that of the pandemic-skewered 2020 election.

As a result, it may take several days after polls close on Nov. 8 for results to be confirmed in several key battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.