Early voting, tight Senate races, $97M for HBCUs, and Black unemployment jumps

Early voting opens in major states as Nov. 3 nears

Election Day is Nov. 3, and in many states voters can already cast a ballot early.

Texas started early in-person voting Monday, Oct. 19, running through Oct. 30, according to the Secretary of State; the deadline for a mail ballot application to arrive is Oct. 23. Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut and South Carolina also opened early voting Oct. 19, per Ballotpedia's calendar cited by Newsweek, while Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia opened earliest, on Sept. 18. Florida, Michigan, New Jersey and New York open Oct. 24.

Delaware's early voting window opens Thursday, Oct. 22, and runs through Nov. 1, though sites are closed Sunday, Oct. 25. Hours run 7am to 7pm for the first five days, then 11am to 7pm for the final five; Delaware voters can cast a ballot at any early voting site in their county, not just their assigned polling place, and need one form of ID, such as a driver's license, state ID card, polling place card or voter mailer, or a current utility bill or bank statement with name and address.

Wherever you live, the action is the same this week: look up your own state's early voting window, ID requirements and any ballot deadlines now, since they differ state to state and several close out before Nov. 3. Newsweek frames the stakes plainly: whoever wins on Nov. 3 will control Congress, shaping how much of Trump's agenda can move for the rest of his term.

Senate races in Michigan, Georgia and Texas head toward Nov. 3

Three Senate contests are drawing national money and attention, and their results will help decide which party controls Congress.

In Michigan's open seat, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed faces former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in a race recent polls show is close, with heavy outside spending on both sides. El-Sayed narrowly won the Democratic primary against Rep. Haley Stevens.

Georgia's Senate race pits Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff against Republican Rep. Mike Collins. Reuters cites some polls putting Ossoff ahead there by double digits. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico is taking on Republican Ken Paxton for a Senate seat in a state where no Democrat has won statewide since 1994; Talarico has outraised Paxton, and polls show a tight race.

Analysis: these outcomes reach past the scoreboard. Newsweek notes that whoever wins the Senate majority will shape how much of the president's agenda moves through Congress, which in turn affects whether civil rights and voting rights measures advance and whether federal programs Black communities rely on, including the HBCU research funding and jobs data covered below, keep moving or stall.

HBCUs land $97.1 million in federal STEM research funding

Sen. Raphael Warnock announced that 10 HBCU and minority-serving institutions will share a $97.1 million federal award for STEM research, funded by the Department of Defense. The money is meant to help the schools pursue Research One status, the highest U.S. research classification, which for students at these schools can mean more research opportunities and resources on campus.

Florida A&M, Morgan State and North Carolina A&T each received the largest individual shares, $10 million apiece. About $9.78 million of that award is set for Clark Atlanta University in Georgia. North Carolina A&T also set a research funding record on its own, reporting $113.3 million in sponsored research for fiscal year 2026, separate from the new federal award.

Warnock says he's secured over $17 billion for HBCUs nationwide since 2022, including close to $275 million for Georgia's HBCUs. In March, more than 30 HBCU presidents joined Warnock at the Capitol for an event tied to the HBCU Research Capacity Act, a bipartisan bill he filed with Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala. HBCU Gameday also reported a separate $23 million initiative from the Simons Foundation aimed at giving HBCU faculty more research time and supporting research centers.

Black unemployment jumps as October's jobs report nears

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that Black unemployment rose to 7.0% in September 2026, up from 6.0% in August; BLS says it was the only major demographic group to post a clear increase that month. For a Black worker in the job market, that one-point jump means a measurably higher chance of being counted unemployed than just a month earlier, even as the national unemployment rate held at 4.2%, a rate that has stayed in a narrow 4.1%-4.3% band since March. Overall, nonfarm payrolls rose by just 29,000 in September. BLS also revised down prior job growth: July and August combined were 60,000 lower than first reported. Average hourly earnings rose 5 cents to $37.81 in September, up 3.0% over the year.

The October 2026 jobs report is still scheduled for Friday, Nov. 6, but reliable data isn't guaranteed. BLS's own tables note that during last year's federal shutdown, October 2025 household survey data were never collected, so fourth-quarter 2025 estimates couldn't be produced. NBC News reported the October 2025 report was canceled outright, and the following month's report was pushed from its normal early-December date to Dec. 16, 2025. BLS said the missing data could not be collected retroactively. For anyone trying to track how Black workers are faring month to month, that kind of gap means one less read on the numbers right when they're moving the most. The missing data also complicated the Fed's rate decision: its December meeting fell before the delayed report arrived. Traders' odds of a Fed rate cut slid from near 50% to about 36% after BLS disclosed the gap, NBC News reported.

Quick answers

When does early voting start in my state?

It depends on the state: Texas and several others opened Oct. 19, Delaware opened Oct. 22, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey and New York open Oct. 24, and Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia opened earliest, on Sept. 18.

Which Senate races matter most right now?

Michigan's open seat between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers is close, as is Texas's race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton, while Georgia's Jon Ossoff polls well ahead of Republican Mike Collins; whoever wins the Senate majority will shape how much of the president's agenda moves for the rest of his term.

What happened to Black unemployment in the new jobs report?

BLS's September 2026 data show Black unemployment rose from 6.0% to 7.0%, a one-point jump in a single month, while the overall national rate held at 4.2%.

Did HBCUs get new federal funding?

Yes. Sen. Raphael Warnock announced a $97.1 million Defense Department award for STEM research at 10 HBCU and minority-serving institutions, meant to help them reach Research One status.