Early voting jumps as millions more Americans vote ahead of midterms

Early voting is significantly outpacing the last midterm election, with millions more Americans casting ballots in advance and particularly sharp increases in states hosting competitive Senate races, according to an Associated Press analysis of voting data five days before Election Day. The surge is especially pronounced in Texas, where voters are deciding closely watched Senate, House and governor’s races. More than 6.3 million Texans had voted early as of Wednesday, compared with 4.2 million at the same point four years ago, a 50 per cent increase.Advance voting has also increased more than 30 per cent from the same point four years ago in Maine, Michigan, North Carolina and Kansas, states with competitive Senate races.In South Carolina, where voters are choosing a successor to the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, early voting is up 83 per cent. 0:49 Canada not near trade deal with U.S. before midterms, Carney said The data, compiled by the AP, offers a glimpse of early voter participation five days before an election that will determine control of Congress and other key contests. Story continues below advertisement Across the country, more than 43 million Americans had voted...