AUSTIN, Texas — More than 2.8 million Texans have already voted early, according to the latest numbers from the Texas Secretary of State’s office.
According to Travis County election officials, the county has seen record-breaking numbers at polling locations so far. On Monday - the first day of early voting - 46,000 voters cast a ballot, and at least 40,000 have voted across the county every day this week.
For reference, Travis County brought in roughly 35,000 votes on the first day of early voting in 2020.
“So, we've still seen increased interest these first couple of days,” said Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado.
Limon-Mercado says election season is like the Super Bowl for their department.
“This is something we work on months in advance of actual early voting and election day, so it is a lot of work,” Limon-Mercado said.
Planning since May, Limon-Mercado says they anticipated a large amount of people to show up at the polls ahead of the high-stakes presidential election and a critical U.S. Senate race between Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Colin Allred.
The clerk's office is 42 early voting locations and 176 for election day, are testing voting equipment and have trained thousands of poll workers for what's shaping up to be a pivotal election year.
Travis County Judge Andy Brown says a high voter turnout is significant because of the hurdles voters experience due to Texas law.
“This is significant because, just in general, Texas is one of the hardest states in the United States to register to vote," Brown said. "You can't register online. There are very few other states where that is the case. In addition, in Texas, you have to have certain voter IDs; they don't let you use other ones. So, that makes it a little bit more tricky, especially for students.”
Brown says despite those obstacles, people are showing out.
So far, in Hays and Bastrop Counties, voter turnout is lower compared to the third day of early voting in 2020.
Limon-Mercado says she's seeing a shift in how people view and value elections now, especially among the younger population.
“I think we've seen social media shift people's awareness and education about how to get involved in the election, especially for things that are down ballot,” Limon-Mercado said. “People really understand that all politics truly are local … the more likely it is to have a significant impact on your day to day life sooner rather than later.”
Officials say they expect to see around 200,000 people to vote on election day. They recommend people take advantage of early voting now to avoid long wait times and lines.
“We say vote early, vote easy and we mean it,” said Limon-Mercado. “When you can vote early, there are longer hours, we have extended hours.
Voters can cast a vote until 10 p.m. on the last two days of early voting. They can also vote on Saturdays and Sundays.