Texas early voting opens with record turnout in major counties
publishers 48articles 52first reported 20 Oct, 22:13 UTCdeveloping since 21 Oct · 12 editions
Texas’s five largest counties reported record or sharply higher turnout as early voting began for the November 2026 midterm election, amid a record 19 million voter registrations statewide.
More than 104,600 people voted Monday in Harris County, exceeding the previous midterm opening-day record of 63,188 set in 2018. Dallas County recorded 76,079 ballots, compared with 59,389 on the first day in 2018. Bexar County reported 42,776 voters, its highest opening-day turnout for a midterm or other non-presidential election.
Travis County recorded 40,777 ballots, surpassing its 2018 and 2022 figures, while 50,149 people voted in Tarrant County, about 20% more than in 2018.
In Harris County, turnout during the first four days was more than 50% higher than at the same point in the 2022 midterms, the Houston Chronicle reported. Voting more than doubled in several predominantly Black communities, including Acres Homes, Sunnyside and the area around Tidwell. About 5,000 people voted in Acres Homes during that period, compared with roughly 2,400 in 2022.
Harris County Democratic Party Chair Traci A. Gibson attributed part of the increase to canvassing, phone banks and community groups providing rides to polling locations. Republican state Sen. Paul Bettencourt said Democrats were outvoting Republicans in the county so far, while noting that large numbers of registered voters from both parties had not yet cast ballots.
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Written from 8 articles, 4 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 216 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
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