HOUSTON, Texas — Harris County, home to Houston, Texas, wrapped up early voting for Tuesday’s midterm with 1,081,010 ballots in hand, the biggest early total the county has ever posted for a midterm.
The Harris County Elections Department said the last day was the busiest of the whole period. In-person turnout on Friday reached 126,397, topping the opening-day count of 104,656. Over the full early period, 1,036,349 ballots were cast in person, while mail ballots added 44,661 more.
The county has about 2.7 million registered voters, so early voting covered 39% of the rolls. That leaves roughly 1.66 million registered Harris County voters who have not yet cast a ballot. For comparison, the 2022 midterm had drawn about 750,000 early and mail ballots by this stage.
Houston is part of a statewide surge. Preliminary records from the Texas Secretary of State put the number of Texans who voted early at a record 7.4 million, about 40% turnout, tying the modern midterm high set in 2018. Texas now counts more than 19 million registered voters, a 2.2% increase since the 2024 presidential vote.
The ballot is drawing attention well beyond the state. Democratic state Rep. James Talarico of Austin faces Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in a tight U.S. Senate contest. In the governor’s race, Republican Greg Abbott is seeking a fourth term against Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa.
Turnout figures posted over the weekend are not final. Each county reports its own numbers on its own schedule, and mail ballots are still coming in. Neighboring Fort Bend and Montgomery counties also reported records of their own.
On Election Day, polling places run from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., and county voters may use whichever vote center is most convenient.
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