Texas Early Voting Surges as Key Senate Race Draws Voters
WHO:
NPR - Austin voter Benjamin Mercado said it was difficult to justify Ken Paxton “on any sort of grounds — politically, ethically.”
NPR - Austin voter Alexis Dorn said she voted for James Talarico and was trying not to get her hopes up, recalling her excitement about Beto O’Rourke.
ABC13 Houston - Harris County voter Daysi Harper said Cypress is “a very large place.”
CBS News - Zachary Donnini, VoteHub’s head of data science, said the Texas Senate race was “gripping the nation” and that the possibility of Democrats winning Texas was dominating coverage of the midterms.
NPR - Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico received votes from Austin voters Miryam Miller, Benjamin Mercado, and Alexis Dorn.
NPR - Republican voter Greg Graves said he now supports Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate nominee, after initially supporting Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary.
NPR - Terrance McPeters, interviewed in Richmond by Houston Public Media, said Paxton would best protect his values.
ABC13 Houston - Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico and Libertarian Ted Brown for Cornyn’s U.S. Senate seat.
ABC13 Houston - Gov. Greg Abbott is seeking a fourth term against Democrat Gina Hinojosa and Libertarian Pat Dixon.
ABC13 Houston - Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is not seeking reelection. Democrat Letitia Plummer and Republican Orlando Sanchez, both former Houston City Council members, are running to replace her.
ABC13 Houston - University of Houston political science expert Nancy Sims discussed the turnout and its implications with ABC13.
ABC13 Houston - Fort Bend County county-judge candidates are Republican Daniel Wong and Democrat Dexter McCoy.
WHAT:
CBS News - VoteHub estimated as many as 10 million people may vote in Texas’s midterm election, close to 90% of the nearly 11.4 million who voted in the 2024 presidential election.
CBS News - Donnini said nearly 2.9 million ballots had been cast statewide during the first four days of early voting, and estimated about 67% of Texas voters would vote early.
CBS News - Donnini said Talarico likely needs to win Tarrant County by about six percentage points to win statewide. Texas was won by Donald Trump by 14 points.
CBS News - During the first three early-voting days, Dallas County turnout was high; Donnini said the first day’s turnout exceeded 2024 and that additional voting centers increased capacity.
CBS News - Donnini said early voters in Dallas and Tarrant counties appeared somewhat more Democratic than in 2024, while Collin and Denton counties had more Republican than Democratic voters.
NPR - Early voting is underway in Texas in a tight U.S. Senate race that could help determine the balance of power in Washington.
NPR - Paxton was impeached by Texas House Republicans over corruption allegations and acquitted by the state Senate. The Department of Justice investigated him after top aides accused him of bribery and using his office to benefit political allies; federal prosecutors declined to bring charges.
ABC13 Houston - More than 500,000 people—about one in five registered voters—voted in Harris County during the first week of early voting, the fastest start for a midterm in county records dating to 1998.
ABC13 Houston - More than 104,000 people voted in person on the first day, a midterm first-day record and more than voted on any single early-voting day in 2018 or 2022. Each following day also exceeded the corresponding day in both those elections.
ABC13 Houston - Harris County’s busiest early-voting site was Richard and Meg Weekley Community Center in Cypress, surpassing West Gray Multi-Service Center. Cypress, Kingwood, Jersey Village, and HCC’s West Loop South campus were among the busy sites; the busiest centers each checked in over 10,000 voters. Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church had fewer than 700.
ABC13 Houston - About four in five registered Harris County voters had not yet voted. Matching 2022 turnout would mean roughly 600,000 additional voters before Election Day.
ABC13 Houston - More than 3.5 million Texans voted during the first five days of early voting. Nearly one in four registered Fort Bend County voters had voted, a higher proportion than in Harris County.
ABC13 Houston - Harris County’s new county judge will lead Commissioners Court, which sets the county budget and tax rate.
WHERE:
NPR - Voters were interviewed at Austin Energy headquarters in Austin, in Corpus Christi, and in Richmond, a Houston suburb.
ABC13 Houston - Harris County has 75 early-voting centers; registered voters may vote at any of them. County estimates put waits below 15 minutes at 67 centers on Saturday morning.
ABC13 Houston - Fort Bend County also reported strong early-voting turnout.
WHEN:
CBS News - Early voting continues through Friday, October 30, at 7 p.m.; Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
NPR - Paxton’s impeachment occurred in 2023.
ABC13 Houston - Harris County’s first-week early-voting total followed polls opening Monday; the article also reports first-day voting on Monday.
ABC13 Houston - Harris County had about 400,000 more registered voters than in 2018. The article compares turnout and polling-place numbers with 2022 and mail-voting patterns with 2022 and 2024.
WHY:
CBS News - Donnini said early-voting turnout alone does not reveal voters’ choices; persuasion also matters. He said Talarico needs to reduce Republican margins in traditionally Republican Tarrant County suburbs and improve Democratic margins among Asian and Hispanic voters in Fort Worth and South Arlington.
NPR - Miller said she chose Talarico for his character and because she believed he could promote positive change. Graves said he supported Paxton for protecting Texas values and doing an excellent job as attorney general; he said he had set aside Paxton’s “baggage.”
NPR - McPeters cited keeping prayer in homes and schools and putting God first as important values.
ABC13 Houston - Sims said high turnout in suburban, traditionally Republican areas makes its meaning difficult to determine; countywide voting at any location makes it “a little hard to extrapolate.” She said it was too early to call anything.
ABC13 Houston - Sims said fewer people are voting on Election Day, and Harris County has fewer Election Day polling places than in 2022.
HOW:
ABC13 Houston - Mail ballots made up a small share of votes counted; most mail ballots counted so far arrived on the first day, as in 2022 and 2024.
(UPDATED October 25, 2026 16:03 UTC)
Texas is seeing a record-setting surge in early voting as a closely watched Senate race could help determine control of Washington. More than 3.5 million people voted in the first five days statewide, including over half a million in Harris County during its strongest midterm opening week on record. VoteHub estimates as many as 10 million Texans may cast ballots, with about two-thirds expected to vote early. Republican Ken Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico and Libertarian Ted Brown for the Senate seat held by John Cornyn. Austin voters backing Talarico cited his character and the prospect of positive change, while Paxton supporters said he would protect their values. Paxton was impeached over corruption allegations and acquitted by the state Senate; federal prosecutors later declined to charge him. Analysts say turnout alone does not show voter preferences, and Talarico likely needs strong results in Tarrant County.
--
(UPDATED October 25, 2026 13:07 UTC)
Early voting is surging in Texas, where a closely watched U.S. Senate race could help shape the balance of power in Washington. More than 3.5 million Texans voted in the first five days, and over 500,000 Harris County voters cast ballots during its first week—the fastest midterm start there in records dating to 1998. Republican nominee Ken Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico and Libertarian Ted Brown for the seat held by John Cornyn. Some voters said they chose Talarico for his character, while Paxton supporters cited his values and record as attorney general. Paxton was impeached over corruption allegations and acquitted by the state Senate; federal prosecutors later declined to charge him. Harris County’s first-day turnout also set a midterm record, though political scientist Nancy Sims cautioned that high turnout is difficult to interpret. About four in five county voters have yet to cast ballots.