Texas early voting outpaces 2022 record
Five million nine hundred thousand voters cast ballots in the first 11 days, exceeding the entire 2022 midterm turnout.
By Sofia Ramirez ·
Texas voters cast 5.9 million in person ballots during the first 11 days of early voting. This figure already exceeds the total early voting count from the 2022 midterm elections. The state has 19 million registered voters, and the current turnout represents 31.5 percent of that total.
In the 2022 cycle, 5.1 million people voted early. That group constituted 29 percent of registered voters. The 2026 numbers show a clear increase in participation before the final day of early voting, which concludes on Friday.
North Texas counties show similar patterns of higher engagement. Dallas County recorded 534,404 in person votes in the current period. In 2022, the county’s total early votes were 391,328. Tarrant County saw 509,294 people vote in person this year. The 2022 total for that county was 389,285.
Collin County and Denton County also posted higher numbers. Collin County has 329,412 in person ballots cast so far, compared to 253,746 in 2022. Denton County stands at 282,986 in person votes, up from 219,010 in the previous midterm cycle.
Candidates are using the final days of the campaign to target undecided voters. Governor Greg Abbott is holding get out the vote events in Amarillo, Lubbock, and Laredo. Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is scheduled to hold a campaign event at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. His opponent, Democrat James Talarico, will host a rally at Texas A&M University at 7 p.m.
Talarico aims to break a 30 year streak in which no Democrat won a statewide office in Texas. The last Democrat to win such an election was in 1994. Voters can verify their registration and find polling locations through the Secretary of State’s website.
