Harris County voters cast more than half a million ballots in the first week of early voting, roughly one in five registered voters, according to ABC13 Houston. No midterm in county records going back to 1998 has started faster.
Opening day set the tone. More than 104,000 people voted in person on Monday, Oct. 19, a midterm first-day record and more than any single early-voting day in 2018 or 2022. Every day since has beaten the same day in both of the last two midterms, ABC13 reported.
The map of where people are voting is shifting too. The Richard and Meg Weekley Community Center in Cypress became the county’s most-visited early-voting site, passing the West Gray Multi-Service Center near downtown. Cypress is part of the fast-growing northwest suburbs.
Early voting continues through Friday, Oct. 30, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters need one of seven acceptable forms of photo ID, listed at VoteTexas.gov. Printed notes are allowed at the polls; phones, cameras, tablets and other recording devices are not.
Why it matters. Big early turnout in Texas’ largest county will shape the statewide Senate and governor’s races. But it does not tell anyone who is winning. As University of Houston political scientist Nancy Sims told ABC13, because voters can use any location, “it’s a little hard to extrapolate” what turnout means for results.
The other side. Both parties are claiming the numbers as good news: Democrats point to Harris County’s urban core, Republicans to the suburban surge at sites like Cypress.
Open questions. How the final early-vote total compares with 2018 and 2022, and how many mail ballots are still outstanding.
