Texas Early Voting Surges

Texas voters set first-day early-voting records in several counties as in-person voting opened for the November 2026 midterms. The surge included Democratic-leaning Harris and Dallas counties and Republican-leaning Montgomery, Ellis, Bell and McLennan counties. The numbers drew attention because the U.S. Senate race between Republican Ken PaxtonKen PaxtonCandidate for US Senate and Democrat James TalaricoJames TalaricoCandidate for US Senate is unusually competitive. Democrats likely need strong urban and suburban results, including in Tarrant County, to win statewide. Harris County topped 100,000 in-person early voters, beating its 2018 midterm first-day record of 63,188. Dallas County topped 76,000, exceeding its prior midterm mark. Strategists cautioned one day cannot predict the result. Early voting runs through October 30, before the November 3 election.