Texas Early Voting Tops 7.5 Million, but GOP Worries About Turnout
WHO:
NBC News - Hispanic voters, including people who had not participated in recent elections, accounted for a sharp increase in early-voting participation.
The Washington Post - Burns, described as an antiabortion Christian who had supported the MAGA agenda for years, said he would not vote in the election.
The Texas Tribune - More than 19 million Texans were registered to vote, 2.2% more than at the November 2024 presidential election.
The Texas Tribune - Mark Jones, a Rice University political science professor, said early voting showed high turnout but left uncertainty about how many votes remained.
The Texas Tribune - State Rep. James Talarico, an Austin Democrat, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a McKinney Republican, were competing in a close U.S. Senate race.
The Texas Tribune - State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, an Austin Democrat, was challenging Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who was seeking a fourth term.
The Texas Tribune - Democratic strategist Matt Angle said a late surge likely meant more Hispanic and Black voters were participating, but cautioned that this did not establish that Democrats would win or Republicans would lose.
Alternet - Texas entrepreneur John Huffman, 43, and Hillary Shepheard said they would not support Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton or Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate Bo French.
Alternet - Shepheard said, “Ken Paxton has to lose”; Huffman said, “Our party needs a slap in the face.”
Alternet - Jill Tate, 53, president of the Texas Federation of Republican Women, said, “If we lose one statewide, the door is open. We cannot let it be open.”
WHAT:
NBC News - Early-voting numbers showed Hispanic turnout rising sharply in Texas; the article said it was not yet clear which candidates those voters supported.
The Texas Tribune - Preliminary records from the Texas secretary of state’s office showed 7.4 million Texans voted early in the 2026 midterm election, about 40% of registered voters and matching the 2018 midterm turnout rate.
The Texas Tribune - The article’s headline described early voting as topping 7.5 million; its reported preliminary count was 7.4 million.
The Texas Tribune - Turnout data posted Saturday was preliminary and potentially incomplete; counties report their own figures, and mail ballots were still expected.
The Texas Tribune - Harris, Dallas and Tarrant counties had higher turnout than in previous midterms. The article said these populous counties also have more diverse voters and that urban cores were seeing increased turnout.
The Texas Tribune - Texas early voting reached 9 million ballots and 49% turnout in the 2024 general election; in the 2022 midterm, 5.5 million early ballots represented 31% turnout; in 2020, 9.7 million voters represented 57% turnout.
Alternet - Huffman said Trump had reshaped the Texas Republican Party into a party that enabled him to “dominate poisonous primaries”; Shepheard and Huffman said the party’s choices were damaging its prospects.
Alternet - The article reported that Bo French, former chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party, had shared a poll asking whether Jews or Muslims posed a greater threat to America and continued to post bigoted messages.
Alternet - The article said Paxton faced accusations of securities fraud and bribery, alleged extramarital affairs, and had pocketed a $1,000 pen that did not belong to him.
Alternet - Huffman said he had voted for Trump three times despite moral reservations, but that voting for Paxton would suggest character did not matter if a candidate was Republican.
Alternet - Godfrey reported that Huffman lost a three-way state Senate vacancy race to a Democrat and a self-described “ultra-MAGA” candidate; the district had voted for Trump by 17 points in 2024 and elected the Democrat by 14.
Alternet - Huffman said a Paxton defeat could prompt Texas Republicans to reform their primaries and help “more reasonable, less morally compromised candidates” succeed. Tate warned that a Republican statewide loss could open the door to Democratic gains.
WHY:
Alternet - Huffman said he could vote for Trump because the presidency mattered more than a single Senate seat, but withholding his vote from Paxton was a way of “reclaiming a little bit” of the compromise he made to support Trump.
The Texas Tribune - Angle said increased turnout in urban areas mattered because Democrats compete more strongly there; he said election-day voters are typically more diverse.
Alternet - Huffman and Shepheard said they were withholding support because of concerns about the party’s candidates, ethics and future viability.
HOW:
Alternet - Huffman said Paxton losing might prompt Texas Republicans to reform how they run primaries, potentially allowing “more reasonable, less morally compromised candidates” to succeed.
The Texas Tribune - Texans voted early in person and by mail; in-person early voting ended Friday, while mail ballots were still expected to arrive.
The Texas Tribune - County election offices reported turnout at different speeds, contributing to incomplete preliminary totals.
(UPDATED November 1, 2026 20:58 UTC)
Texas early voting drew about 7.4 million people, with Hispanic participation rising sharply. The increase could benefit Democrats, but turnout figures don’t reveal which candidates voters supported. In a close Senate race, some Republicans withheld support from Ken Paxton over ethical concerns.
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(UPDATED November 1, 2026 04:56 UTC)
Texas recorded 7.4 million early votes, matching the 2018 midterm turnout rate. A close Senate race pits Democrat James Talarico against Republican Ken Paxton. Some longtime Republicans are withholding support, citing concerns about candidates’ ethics and the party’s future.