Travis County Early Vote Tops 450,000, Surpassing 2012 Presidential Turnout

Voting activity in Central Texas has reached a historic level for a midyear contest. More than 450,000 residents in Travis County have already cast ballots either in person or by mail.

This figure marks the highest early voting total for a midterm election since 1998, which is the earliest year with available data from the Office of the Texas Secretary of State. The current turnout has already passed the total from the 2012 presidential election, when Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney. It also exceeds the 2022 midterm results by approximately 100,000 voters, a number comparable to the seating capacity of the University of Texas at Austin football stadium.

Across the region, nearly half of registered voters in Travis, Williamson, and Hays counties have already voted. Officials note that primary election turnout was also the highest since 2008, prompting preparations for a large-scale general election. However, the process faced complications when the Department of Public Safety delayed sending voter registration records to counties.

Celia Israel, the Travis County tax assessor-collector, stated that her office completed the data entry for those delayed registrations last week. Because some voters were missing from the system during the early voting period, they were required to submit provisional ballots. Israel confirmed that the system is now fully updated for Election Day.

Voting continues until November 3. The current tally stands as the benchmark for this cycle, with the final count expected to follow the close of polls.