Harris County voters cast more than 415,000 early ballots in the first week of voting, unofficial county data shows.
The 415,730 ballots recorded as of Oct. 22 represent about 15% of the county's more than 2.7 million registered voters, Community Impact reported. Spring was among the communities where residents headed to the polls on opening day, according to My Neighborhood News.
The first-week total outpaces recent midterms. In 2022, 750,349 people voted during the entire early voting period, Community Impact reported. In 2018, that number was 855,711, according to Houston Public Media.
The first day alone set a record. On Oct. 19, 104,659 voters checked in at polling locations, surpassing the previous midterm opening-day record of 63,188 set in 2018. That is a 66% increase, according to the Harris County Clerk's Office Elections Department.
Nancy Sims, a political science expert at the University of Houston, told ABC13 the competitive U.S. Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico is one reason for the high turnout. Sims said early voting turnout in urban areas in Texas is running 30% to 40% higher than in the 2022 midterms.
Still, Sims cautioned that high early numbers do not predict a winner. Turnout is strong in suburban areas that tend to lean Republican as well as in traditionally Democratic urban precincts, she said, and countywide voting lets residents cast ballots at any location.
Suburban growth is reshaping where people vote. The Richard and Meg Weekley Community Center in Cypress has become the county's most-visited polling location, unseating the West Gray Multi-Service Center near downtown, ABC13 reported. The Kingwood Community Center, in north Harris County near Spring, ranked fifth with 10,322 votes through the first four days.
The county's outreach push preceded the surge. Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth announced a billboard campaign on Sept. 28 featuring 13 signs across the county in English and Spanish with the message "Plan. Check. Vote." The Elections Department also launched the Harris Votes mobile app, available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese, to help voters find polling locations and review sample ballots.
Spring ISD posted a reminder on X on Oct. 23 about Prop A, the district's ballot measure, noting that early voting runs through Oct. 30 at all Harris County voting locations.
Early voting continues through Friday, Oct. 30. Voting centers are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. On Sunday, Oct. 25, hours are noon to 7 p.m. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, with more than 600 polling locations planned countywide.
Voters can cast a ballot at any county voting center and may bring handwritten notes or printed sample ballots into the booth. Voting locations, sample ballots and ID requirements are available at HarrisVotes.com.
