AUSTIN, Texas — Early voting ends at 10 p.m. on Friday, October 30, in Texas, and Travis County saw a major jump in participation compared with the last midterm election.
More than 426,000 ballots were cast in Travis County during the early voting period, with more than 6.8 million cast statewide. In Travis County, that total was more than 100,000 higher than the 2022 midterms, which saw nearly 311,000 early votes.
Early voting ends at 10 p.m. on Friday, October 30, in Texas, and Travis County saw a major jump in participation compared with the last midterm election.
Friday was the busiest day of early voting in Travis County, with voters waiting in lines to cast ballots before the period ended. Jennifer Verina, an Austin voter, said she waited “about an hour and a half.”
Some voters said they were motivated by what they see as high stakes in Washington.
“I think that the House and the Senate could switch hands, if you will, and there could be just a different political environment coming out of this next week,” Verina said.
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Others said voting is a basic responsibility. Clara Verina, also an Austin voter, said, “It’s important to do your civic duty and to vote and to be a part of the process.”
Rice University political science professor Mark Jones said dissatisfaction with former President Donald Trump and his policies is helping drive turnout.
“You just have a very high level of Democratic enthusiasm sparked by their anger and dislike of Donald Trump and his administration and policies,” Jones said.
Jones also pointed to competitive races at the top of the ticket, including the U.S. Senate and governor’s contests, as factors in the high turnout.
“It’s more anti-Trump, but it takes a good candidate like Talarico to take advantage of that fully. And I think he’s done that,” Jones said.
Jones predicted about 25 percent of votes will be cast on Election Day, Nov. 3, with most ballots already cast during early voting.