…And We’re Off!
How It's Going With Early Voting
As people of faith and conscience who are devoted to advocacy and civic engagement, elections are sort of our thing—our primary bailiwick, if you will. So one week into early voting, we are out there displaying our “I Voted” stickers and urging friends and neighbors to get to the polls. Congregations have been sponsoring voting events and outreach as a way to remind members that voting is, indeed, a matter of faith!
Happily, we are not alone! This primary election is shaping up to have uncharacteristically high voter turnout across the state. Historically, Texas has a dismal voter turnout rate in primaries—around 14% of the total voting population in the 2024 primaries. However, this year in the first two days of early voting, county data shows 22,314 people casted votes. That is a 196% increase from 2022 and a 116% increase from 2024. Perhaps the most encouraging element is that, according to Ryan Data and Research, 34% of these voters have never voted before in a primary.
Here is a sampling of county voter turnout from different regions of the state:
Check out your county’s voting rate here.
Keeping elections safe and accessible.
Conducting fair, safe, and accessible elections is a huge undertaking with more moving pieces than voters could ever imagine. County elections administrators and their offices, supported by the Texas Secretary of State, hold the primary responsibility for local elections. But these would not run as smoothly as they do without the small army of volunteers and paid election workers who are trained to understand and uphold numerous election policies and laws. For instance, the law requires curbside voting be made available for voters who are not physically able to go into polling locations. Also, there are criminal and civil prohibitions against voter intimidation and voter interference. Federal law prohibits intimidation, threats, and coercion throughout the voting process, including registering to vote, casting a ballot, and even at the stage of counting or tallying votes. Election workers, from election judges to poll watchers, deserve our gratitude and respect, yet they are not alone in ensuring safe election practices are observed.
Several organizations in Texas have come together to form an Election Protection coalition, in which Texas Impact is a participant. This organization recruits and trains hundreds of volunteers every election to be poll monitors as the “eyes and ears” of voters across the state. These poll monitors are not the same as county election workers and do not have an official role in election administration. Rather, they show up as caring volunteers to monitor things like signage, accessibility, hours of operation, and general peacefulness of the polling location. The next virtual poll monitor training is coming up. It’s a fun and important way that ordinary people can show up for our democratic process.
Make your plan to vote in the primary election.
Early voting ends Friday, Feb. 27 and Election Day is Tuesday, March 3. Please take advantage of these resources as you make your plan to vote.
Looking forward…
Given the large field of candidates, run-off elections are expected in a number of races. The primary runoff election will be held on Tuesday, May 26. The winners of the primaries (and runoff elections, if needed) will appear on the ballot for the midterm election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Stay tuned for ongoing information and updates as we move forward.
This is such good news! Thanks to all who have worked on this.
Thanks, Rebecca! I appreciate this early look at turnout. It’s energizing to see that engagement is so high. I’ll be paying close attention to the primary outcomes this year, particularly in districts where those results may set the direction for the general election.