More than 19 million Texans are registered to vote ahead of midterm election
(FOX Local)
More than 19 million Texans are registered to vote ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm election.
By the numbers:
The number represents a 2.2% increase over the Nov. 2024 general election and a 2% increase from March's primary election, according to the Secretary of State's office.
Among the counties with the largest increase over the past two years, Brazos County saw a 10.3% increase in registered voters, Kaufman County's registrations grew by 10.2% and Hays County saw a 9.3% increase.
Texas voting guide: Early voting is underway. Here's what you should know
Early voting for the November election is underway. Voters can cast their ballots early through Oct. 30.
What they're saying:
"Texas continues to see strong voter registration numbers, and we want every eligible Texan to be prepared to participate in the upcoming election," Secretary of State Robert Howden said.
Early voting sees record turnouts
Early voting in Texas began Monday and Dallas, Travis and Harris counties each reported record first-day turnouts.
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The big run to the polls continued Tuesday after early voting kicked off with a rush on Monday, Oct. 19.
Voter registration issues have been resolved
The increase in voter numbers comes after a backlog of nearly 500,000 voter registrations were left unprocessed because of a software error with the Texas Department of Public Safety's web portal. State officials said the backlog was cleared as of last week, prior to early voting.
Voting rights groups filed a lawsuit against the state, alleging the mishap violated a 2021 settlement agreement that requires the state to maintain the option for Texans to register to vote when using DPS's online portal.
Even with the backlog, state officials said that anyone who had registered to vote by the Oct. 5 deadline would still be able to vote, regardless of when that application was processed.
Early voting runs through Oct. 30.
The Source: Information on voter registration numbers in this article comes from the Texas Secretary of State's office. Early voting numbers come from previous Fox Local reporting and county election offices. Information on previous voter registration issues and pending litigation comes from previous Fox Local reporting.