A Record Early Vote In Texas

Early voting came to a close in Texas on Friday, October 30. According to the Secretary of State’s website, over 7.7 million Texans cast their ballot in-person or via mail. That amounts to a little over 40 percent of registered voters, which is just above the early voting threshold in 2018.

Many Texas Democrats are optimistic, even if the state hasn’t elected a statewide Democrat since 1988. Several urban counties like Travis, Tarrant, and Collin notched record early voting totals.

And at least fifteen counties have posted early voting totals surpassing their entire turnout in 2022. That includes the sizable counties of Williamson, Denton, Collin, Fort Bend, and Hidalgo.

According to data scientist Tom Bonier, over 760,000 early voters in Texas did not vote in 2024. And while Texas does not have party registration, Texans who voted in the Democratic primary in 2026 are edging out those that voted in the Republican primary.

With approximately 48 hours until the close of Election Day, candidates throughout the state are fanning out for the last dash before Tuesday. On Saturday, James Talarico’s campaign announced they were kicking off “final four” campaign ground operations with 454 events in 106 cities with 60,000 volunteers.

The Democratic Senate candidate is holding his final rallies in San Antonio and Austin. On Sunday night in San Antonio, Talarico will be joined by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa, Democratic congressional candidate Katy Padilla Stout, and Democratic State House candidate Kristian Carranza.

Republican Ken Paxton is also closing out his senate campaign with a multi-city bus tour he is dubbing “Come and Take It.” However, Paxton’s campaign canceled several stops on the tour, including a closing event at the Alamo in San Antonio. On Sunday evening, Paxton will be in San Antonio at a tavern. On then on Monday, he will be in Conroe and Allen.

Polls have shown a tight race in Texas. One of the final polls released by YouGuv shows Talarico beating Paxton by 4 points (51 percent to 47 percent); and Governor Abbott besting Hinojosa by a sliver (50 percent to 49 percent).

Texas Democrats are also looking beyond statewide races, for potential gains in congress and the Texas legislature. Texas Republicans had passed a mid-decade redistricting bill designed to potentially net them five additional seats in the lone star state last year. That goal appears out of reach.