AUSTIN, Texas — Many Texans who vote early are trying to avoid the expected long lines on Election Day.

What You Need To Know

  • Just 29% of registered voters in Texas have cast their ballots one week into early voting

  • In 2020, Texas saw a surge in voter turnout in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the halfway mark of both early voting periods, turnout was 7% higher in 2020 compared to this year

  • In Collin County, the number of voters who turned up in the first week was 13% higher than in 2020. This is expected to translate into higher overall turnout once the final vote has been counted

  • It may take another election before there is a way to track how Texans' voting patterns have shifted since the pandemic
 

“I'm always voting early,” said Travis County voter Caitlin Keegan.

For some people, voting early works better with their schedule. That includes Travis County voter Corrie Roehm.

“This is a hugely important election, and I didn't want to be caught in a position where I couldn't because I couldn't get there from work,” she said.

But after one week of early voting in Texas, just 29% of registered voters have cast their ballots. 

“Historically, Texas has been a low turnout state, save the 2018 and 2020 elections,” said Joshua Blank with the Texas Politics Project.

In 2020, Texas saw a surge in voter turnout in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, the early voting period was extended from two weeks to three, there was a larger emphasis on mail-in voting, and some say the stakes of the election were higher.

“For certain people, one party was simply looking to shut the economy down and essentially shut the country down, while to others, the other party was simply, essentially marching people to their death,” said Blank.

At the halfway mark of both early voting periods, turnout was 7% higher in 2020 compared to this year.

Compared to 2016, the last non-COVID presidential election, 2024 marks an increase in early voting turnout. But there are also a record 18 million registered voters compared to 15 million in 2016.

“We should always expect to see more voters if we add more voters in between each election,” said Blank.

In Collin County, the number of voters who turned up in the first week was 13% higher than in 2020. This is expected to translate into higher overall turnout once the final vote has been counted.

“We're going to see a turnout somewhere between 75% and 80% turnout of our registered voters. And that is typical in this county for a presidential election,” said Collin County elections administrator Bruce Sherbet.

Sherbet says early voting may slow down by the end of the week.

“Four years ago, 93% of our vote in Collin County was early vote. The others [were on] Election Day. I think what we're going to see this time is about 80% of the overall votes cast will be early and 20% will be Election Day,” said Sherbet.

It may take another election before there is a way to track how Texans' voting patterns have shifted since the pandemic.