Photo: KUT News
Austin-Area Early Voting Starts Strong as Texas Posts Record Midterm Turnout
Travis and Williamson counties draw heavy crowds in the first two days, joining a statewide surge ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
Voters across Central Texas are showing up in force for the midterm election, part of a statewide wave of record-setting early voting that has both parties searching for clues about November.
Travis and Williamson by the numbers
Travis County’s unofficial totals show 49,987 voters on Monday and 40,968 on Tuesday, for a two-day total of 90,955, or 9.59% of its 948,575 registered voters.
Day one’s edge came mostly from mail ballots: 9,170 arrived Monday versus 510 Tuesday. In-person turnout was nearly flat at 40,777 and 40,359.
Bee Cave City Hall led all sites with 3,392 voters, followed by Ben Hur Shrine Center (3,190) and PfISD Rock Gym (3,119).
Williamson County recorded 29,006 voters on day one and 24,645 on day two, for 53,651 total. That is 11.38% of its 471,602 registered voters, a higher share than Travis.
Wilco Jester Annex was the busiest site by a wide margin with 4,851 voters.
The big counties
The Austin-area figures arrive amid blockbuster openings elsewhere.
Harris County reported more than 104,600 in-person ballots on day one, shattering the 2018 midterm first-day record of 63,188. Dallas County recorded 76,079 in-person votes, compared with 56,431 on opening day in 2024.
Tarrant County, a closely watched swing area that Donald Trump won by five points in 2024, counted about 50,000 ballots, up from 29,197 in the 2022 midterm but below its 2024 opening day of 58,487. Collin and Denton counties also reported gains over 2022. Because those figures cover in-person voting only, they are not directly comparable with the Travis and Williamson totals, which include mail ballots.
Meanwhile, in South Texas…
Hidalgo County in the Rio Grande Valley is one of the state’s most populous counties and is heavily Hispanic. It has been a Democratic stronghold, though Republicans have made gains there in recent elections.
What it could mean
The turnout comes as Texans decide a Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, plus contests for governor and other statewide offices. The state has more than 19 million registered voters, about 1.4 million more than in 2022.
Analysts caution against reading too much into opening-day crowds.
The data is not broken down by party, and some voters may simply be voting earlier than before. Josh Blank of the University of Texas at Austin says polling shows about two-thirds of Democrats prefer early voting, while Republicans are more evenly split, with many waiting for Election Day. That means early numbers can tilt toward Democrats even if the final electorate does not.
Still, strategists see the geography as meaningful.
Democrats need strong turnout in urban counties such as Harris, Dallas, Bexar and Travis, and in fast-growing suburbs including Fort Bend, Williamson and Hays. SMU political scientist Cal Jillson says that Democrats appear more enthusiastic this cycle. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, meanwhile, said turnout among Republicans is also enormous.
The picture should sharpen as more days report.
Early voting runs through Friday, October 30.
Sources:
- Travis County Clerk, Elections Division. “Unofficial Early Voting In Person and By Mail Totals,” Nov. 3, 2026 Joint General and Special Elections (report dated Oct. 20, 2026).
- Williamson County (Wilco Elections). “Unofficial Early Voting In-Person and By Mail Totals,” Nov. 3, 2026 Joint General & Special Election.
- Houston Public Media. “Harris County crushes midterm first-day early voter turnout record.” https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/election-2026/2026/10/20/564842/harris-county-midterm-early-voter-turnout-record-first-day/
- Yahoo News. “Move over, presidential elections. Texas voters set new, first-day early voting records.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/move-over-presidential-elections-texas-180112929.html
- NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. “Record turnout on first day of 2026 early voting in North Texas.” https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/lone-star-politics/record-turnout-on-first-day-of-2026-early-voting-in-north-texas/4093325/
- Houston Chronicle. “Texas midterms early voting tracker.” https://www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/2026/texas-midterms-early-voting-turnout/
- Newsweek. “Texas Early Voting Breaks County Records in Warning Sign to Republicans.” https://www.newsweek.com/texas-early-voting-breaks-county-records-warning-paxton-talarico-abbott-hinojosa-12592173
- The New Republic (via Yahoo News). “Texas’s 5 Biggest Counties Blow Early Voting Records Out of the Water.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/texas-5-biggest-counties-blow-211010886.html
- ABC13 Houston. “Live updates: Early voting underway in Texas for the 2026 midterm election.” https://abc13.com/live-updates/2026-midterm-election-early-voting-starts-monday-runs-oct-30-texas/19850056/
A man now faces a felony murder charge after the victim of an allegedly unprovoked attack at the Austin Central Library died, according to court documents obtained by KVUE.
Austin police said officers responded on March 11 to a report of a man stomping on another person’s head on the library’s fourth floor.
More than three months after 18-year-old Antonio Cleveland Jr. was shot and killed outside a northeast Austin bar, police say very few of the more than 200 people present have come forward.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Austin Police Department Homicide Det. Randy DeLuna stated that investigators have struggled to find witnesses willing to speak about the July 4 shooting outside Otro Pedo Sports Bar on East Braker Lane.
A person is recovering at the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries following a shooting in the Legends of Hutto subdivision, according to the Hutto Police Department. Investigators believe the incident was isolated with no ongoing threat to the public, though the active investigation remains underway.
A federal grand jury has indicted Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan national shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in North Austin, charging him with assaulting and impeding federal officers using his vehicle as a deadly weapon.
According to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, prosecutors allege Garcés Pérez fled a Sept. 20 traffic stop and used his car as a dangerous weapon while interfering with federal agents performing official duties. Defense attorneys dispute the account, maintaining that Garcés Pérez was working as a delivery driver, was shot in the torso while attempting to pull over, and was not given clear warning by officers operating in unmarked vehicles.
If convicted of the federal assault charge, Garcés Pérez faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
There are growing concerns in Bastrop County over plans for a natural gas power plant and data center.
Heightened scrutiny is surrounding the leadership of the Round Rock Independent School District’s safety and security operations, where repeated top-level turnover and short tenures have left the district searching for stability.
The churn comes under the oversight of Superintendent Hafedh Azaiez—who directly manages both the district’s Safety & Security Director and the Police Chief—while remaining under a permanent, one-way civil restraining order following allegations of violence against a pregnant woman.
The district’s young police force has faced ongoing staffing challenges and a rotating door of leadership in recent years, marked by multiple chiefs and interims serving brief stints.
Following the latest departures in 2026, RRISD announced in early October the hiring of former longtime Cedar Park Police Chief Mike Harmon, who is scheduled to assume the top role on November 9.
Two years after a deadly stabbing on a Manor ISD campus, a family is suing the district and the state education agency.
A proposed toll road extension could bring major changes to the U.S. 290 corridor through Manor and Elgin, impacting local businesses and drivers who deal with daily gridlock.
Austin leaders are looking at how to better protect homes from wildfires without making housing more expensive.
WEATHER
TUESDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Early voting is officially underway across Texas, setting off a high-stakes midterm cycle defined by competitive statewide contests and intense voter mobilization. Highlighted by a closely watched U.S. Senate battle between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton, both parties are heavily focused on turnout in a key political landscape.
Steve Kornacki, the chief data analyst for NBC News, turns his Big Board analysis on Texas to assess where things stand two weeks before election dayKornacki, the chief data analyst for NBC News, turns his Big Board analysis on Texas to assess where things stand two weeks before election day.
(Episode from October 20, 2026)
DEBATE?
More than $600 million has been spent in the Senate and gubernatorial races in Texas.
Co-host of MS NOW‘s “The Weekend” Eugene Daniels, MS NOW Political Director Shawna Thomas and Investigative Reporter for the Austin American-Statesman Tony Plohetski join Katy Tur live from Austin, Texas to share their outlook for the Lone Star State in November.
As early voting kicks off, Texans across the state have received physical mailers that claim to help transgender minors in unsupportive homes navigate the upcoming school year. But the transgender advocacy group named on the mailers says they did not send them, leading both Democrats and Republicans to question who is really behind them. (Chron)
Regulators in Texas did not stop processing permits for data center projects when Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a pause last month, according to an analysis of public records released Monday by the oil and gas watchdog group FracTracker. (KUT 90.5)
In June 2022, 64 migrants were trapped in an unventilated tractor-trailer. The dangerous conditions in the extreme heat resulted in 53 deaths and 11 serious injuries.
A federal judge in San Antonio sentenced Rigoberto Miranda Orosco to 30 years in prison for his role in the scheme to smuggle people, specifically for being responsible for two of the victims who died.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is trying to repair ties with Washington as President Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff carries new peace proposals to Russia.
President Trump is campaigning in North Carolina as Republicans struggle in key races and he ties federal relief promises to the outcome of the midterms.
Britain is sending fighter jets to help Saudi Arabia defend against Houthi attacks as the war disrupts the kingdom’s economy and deepens the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Attorneys for Camp Mystic‘s owners are challenging search warrants in a Texas Rangers probe into a flood that killed 27 campers and staff.
Feeling lucky?
SPORTS
NBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 32 points and Jared McCain added 20 off the bench as the Oklahoma City Thunder spoiled opening night for the San Antonio Spurs with a 116–104 victory at the Frost Bank Center on Tuesday.
In their first meeting since San Antonio knocked Oklahoma City out in Game 7 of last spring’s Western Conference Finals, the Thunder took control early—building a 26-point lead in the first half—and withstood a third-quarter rally behind a stifling defensive effort that held Victor Wembanyama to 12 points on just 1-of-13 shooting from the field.
NEXT FOR THE SPURS
Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs return to the Capital City this Friday night for an I-35 showdown against the Houston Rockets at Moody Center.
The annual Austin showcase promises high-energy action as the Spurs look to claim bragging rights in front of their growing Austin fanbase.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23
Fresh off an adventurous preseason trip to Macao, the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks reignite their I-10 rivalry tonight at the Toyota Center to open their 2026–27 NBA regular season campaign.
The opening-night clash sets the stage for two Western Conference contenders with high expectations: Houston looks to build on its home-court edge behind Alperen Şengün and offseason additions, while Dallas aims to lay down an early road statement powered by Kyrie Irving and rookie standalone Cooper Flagg.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT in Houston.
NHL: Mikko Rantanen scored in overtime to complete a hat trick, and the Dallas Stars beat Boston 3-2 on Tuesday night to snap the Bruins’ five-game winning streak.
It was the 11th career three-goal game for Rantanen and his first in the regular season since joining the Stars in a trade during the 2024-25 season. He became the fourth Stars player with an overtime hat trick since the team moved to Dallas for the 1993-94 season. (Associated Press via MSN)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Texas Longhorns face mounting frustration after back-to-back losses expose glaring inconsistencies on offense. Can Steve Sarkisian’s squad find answers before the season slips away?
Former Longhorn Tristan Nickelson joins Brad Kellner to examine why Arch Manning’s struggles, short yardage failures, and third quarter collapses continue to haunt Texas fans. The offensive line’s regression, questionable play-calling out of the shotgun in key moments, and possible changes at quarterback spark heated debate and tough questions about leadership and execution.
Garland, Texas is the cowboy hat capital of Texas, a town that started with a fight over a post office and ended up smack in the middle of the DFW sprawl.
Dig past the suburbs and Garland is full of surprises.
