Election officials: Midterms had 'high turnout, wide margins'

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(The Center Square) – Election officials are hailing the relatively smooth management of the 2026 midterm elections in the wake of high voter turnout.

Democrats saw significant victories across the country Tuesday, flipping control of the U.S. House and Senate.

Carolina Lopez, executive director of the Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions, said the midterms represented a secret mantra for election administrators across the country.

“We don’t care who wins, we just want high turnout, wide margins and let the results speak for themselves so we can go on to planning the next election,” Lopez told The Center Square. “That’s what we’re seeing across the country.”

One portion of the results that allowed for wide margins and fast counting throughout the night was early and mail-in ballots. More than 61.5 million early and mail-in ballots were cast across the country, according to data from NBC News, on track to set a record for the voting method in a midterm election.

Lopez said the increased use of early and mail-in voting is helpful for election administration. She previously served as administrator in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and said officials she spoke to were surprised about the turnout. Republicans say mail-in voting is more ripe for fraud.

“We were able to cue folks in line heading into Election Day instead of having massive lines on Election Day,” Lopez told The Center Square. “Election officials were prepared for any of the turnout patterns, but were pleasantly surprised that folks were exercising their right to vote steady throughout the days of availability, whether by mail, in person, or on Election Day.”

Over the summer, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to allow states across the country to accept late arriving mail-in ballots as long as they were postmarked by Election Day. Lopez said this was critical to allow continuity throughout the election process.

“There was no change to how the post office professionals did their job,” Lopez said. “But if some of that noise got folks to maybe consider other ways of voting, I wouldn't see that as a far-fetched idea.”

More than 62.5 million mail-in ballots were sent out across the country during the 2026 midterms. This figure includes ballots sent out in states where every registered voter received a mail-in ballot.

Joe Gruters, chairman of the Republican National Committee, expressed frustration over the court’s decision to allow mail-in ballots to be received after Election Day. The RNC challenged the provision in Mississippi, one of 14 states that accepts late ballots with a postmark.

“There’s no excuse for people not to vote, and there’s no reason why you can’t vote within the allotted time because there’s certainly plenty of time available,” Gruters told The Center Square.

As results continue to pour in across the country and races remain to be called, election officials will continue to count ballots and begin the process of certifying election results. Wyoming, Vermont, South Dakota and Oklahoma must certify election results by Nov. 10, while 25 other states will certify results between Nov. 11 and Nov. 30. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia will certify results in December. Arkansas has the latest certification deadline with a requirement of Dec. 18.

Lopez said the certification process is a time for citizens to support election officials and allow a smooth transition as results are tabulated.

“In the coming days and weeks, let's give them the space and time to finish all those required steps and then immediately start planning the next one, like we typically do in this industry,” Lopez told The Center Square.