Nearly 5 million Texans have already cast ballots in the November midterm elections, with several days of early voting still to go.
About 26% of Texas’ record 19 million registered voters had voted in person or by mail, according to the latest data from the Texas Secretary of State’s Office. The state has about 7.7% more registered voters than it did heading into the 2022 midterms.
As of Tuesday morning, more than 4.7 million votes had been cast in person, while about 215,000 ballots had been submitted by mail.
So far, Texans are voting at a faster pace than in the past two midterm elections. At the same point in early voting, turnout was roughly 21% in 2022 and 24% in 2018, according to state data.
The higher turnout comes as Texas is seeing competitive races at the top of the ballot. Recent polls have shown a close U.S. Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, along with competitive races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. Democrats are trying to break a three-decade losing streak in statewide elections.
It’s too early to know which party is benefiting from the higher turnout. Texas voters don’t register by political party, so the early voting data doesn’t show how many Republicans or Democrats have cast ballots. A clearer picture will emerge when election results begin coming in on Election Day.
The pace of early voting has varied considerably across the state.
In Harris County, the state’s most populous county, about 627,000 people had voted early, or 23% of registered voters. Dallas County had recorded about 416,000 early votes, or 28%.
Turnout was around 32% in Tarrant and Denton counties and 31% in Travis County. Bexar County was lower, at about 24%.
Early voting continues through Friday, Oct. 30. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Why South Texas matters
The Rio Grande Valley, a largely Latino region that was once a reliably Democratic stronghold, has shifted toward Republicans in recent elections. President Donald Trump carried all four of its counties — Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr and Willacy — in 2024. It was the first time Starr County had backed a Republican presidential candidate since 1896.
This year, both parties are again competing for Latino voters in the region, which could play an important role in the close statewide races.
As of Tuesday morning, across the Rio Grande Valley, the turnout rate is about 64% higher than it was at the same point in the 2022 midterms, even as turnout in all four counties remains below the statewide rate.
In Hidalgo County, about 113,000 people had voted early, or 24% of registered voters. Cameron County had recorded about 54,000 votes, or 22%.
Turnout was lower in Starr and Willacy counties, where about 17% of registered voters had cast ballots. About 6,200 people had voted in Starr County and 2,000 in Willacy County.
The Texas Newsroom is a public radio journalism collaboration that includes NPR, KERA in North Texas, Houston Public Media, KUT in Austin, Texas Public Radio in San Antonio and other stations across the state.