Overview
- Early voting ended Friday, Oct. 30, with roughly 7.41 million Texans casting ballots during the 12‑day window, about 39% of registered voters according to preliminary state data.
- Several populous counties posted new midterm highs: Harris recorded 1,081,010 early votes, Bexar nearly 530,000 and Tarrant 571,950, while Travis surpassed its 2018 early total.
- Heavy traffic produced long lines and extended hours at many sites, and equipment problems in Bexar forced pollworkers to use emergency ballot boxes after DS300 ballot scanners jammed when cards fell sideways and tripped full‑box sensors.
- Officials and voters said competitive statewide races for U.S. Senate and governor and higher turnout in urban, more diverse areas drove the surge, but early totals do not determine final outcomes because many Texans still vote on Election Day.
- Counties will continue to process mail ballots that can arrive after Oct. 30 under state rules and must reconcile local reports, so final tallies could be delayed or change as late‑arriving ballots are added and reporting backlogs are resolved.