Nation's first primary states to begin early voting

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(The Center Square) – Early voting has begun or is about to begin in states with the earliest 2026 midterm election primaries.

Illinois, North Carolina, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi will hold some of the country’s first primaries with March election dates already set.

Each state has different regulations for who can vote in which primaries. Here are guidelines for each race and key players in each primary election.

North Carolina

The 51-day window to vote in the primaries began with absentee early voting Jan. 12. Early in-person voting runs Thursday to Feb. 28, and the primary Election Day is March 3.

Voters registered with a specific party must only vote in that primary election’s contest. However, unaffiliated voters can choose which party’s ballot they select.

Registered voters in the state this cycle will choose a U.S. senator, all 14 U.S. House representatives, one state Supreme Court judge and three appellate justices. All 170 seats in the General Assembly – 50 in the Senate, 120 in the House of Representatives – are also on the ballot. There are no statewide referenda.

Voters can register on the same day as they vote during the early voting period.

For the first time, Republican registrations surpassed Democrats heading into the primary elections. However, both major parties significantly trail those registered unaffiliated.

Texas

Texas is also set to hold several hotly contested primary elections while early voting begins Feb. 17 with the election also set for March 3.

Challengers on both sides of the aisle have emerged for the seat held by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. On the Republican side, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt are vying to beat the incumbent.

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico are vying for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat.

Texas operates with an open primary system which means voters do not have to affiliate with a political party to vote in its primary election.

Arkansas

Arkansas will also hold its primary election on March 3. Early voting in Arkansas begins on Feb. 16.

Voters will elect Republican and Democratic candidates for the governor's race in the state. Incumbent candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders is running uncontested in the state’s Republican primary. Two Democratic candidates have declared candidacy for Arkansas governor.

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., is also running for reelection in 2026.

Arkansas also operates with open primary elections, which allows voters to select from either partisan ballot without registering with a party.

Mississippi

Mississippi voters can cast ballots in the primary election on March 10. Mississippi does not offer in-person early voting opportunities.

Litigation out of Mississippi is also being heard before the U.S. Supreme Court in March over whether states can restrict mail-in voting.

The case, Watson v. Republican National Committee, specifically challenges Mississippi’s law allowing ballots to be counted up to five days after Election Day as long as the ballots are postmarked by Election Day.

Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project, said a decision in the case could give uniformity to election laws instead of having states issue different policies.

“What you want to see is that at the end of the voting period, the close of polls on Election Day, you know how many votes have been cast,” Snead said. “The absolute maximum number of ballots should be set when the polls close for all forms of voting.”

Mississippi operates with open primary elections, which means voters do not have to affiliate with a certain party to vote in primary contest. 

Illinois

Illinois will hold its primary election on March 17 and early voting in some parts of the state began Feb. 5. Races for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House are all on the ballot in Illinois.

As U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is not seeking another term, a crowded field of contenders seeks to take his place. In the Democratic primary, U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi are among those vying to take over Durbin’s seat.

In the Illinois governor’s race, Republicans are looking to keep Gov. J.B. Pritzker from winning a third term. Former Illinois Sen. Darren Bailey and entrepreneur Rick Heidner are among the contenders vying for the Republican nomination to Pritzker’s seat.

Illinois operates closed primaries and requires voters to declare party affiliation in order to vote. However, voters are able to declare their affiliation as they register to vote during a primary election.