Texas Hits a Record 19 Million Registered Voters as Early Voting Opens Monday
The state counts 19,041,684 registered voters for Nov. 3, even as four counties work through a new backlog of address changes.
Texas has 19,041,684 registered voters for the Nov. 3 general election, a state record, Secretary of State Robert Howden announced Friday. That is 2.2% more than for the November 2024 general election and 2% more than for the March 2026 primary.
The count is also 7.7% higher than for the last midterm in November 2022, The Texas Tribune reported.
Early voting starts Monday
Early voting runs Monday, Oct. 19, through Friday, Oct. 30. During early voting, Texans may vote at any early voting location in the county where they are registered. Voters can check their registration, find polling places and review ID rules at VoteTexas.gov, according to the Secretary of State.
"Whether you are a first-time voter or have been casting ballots for decades, I encourage you to make a plan to vote, familiarize yourself with the candidates and issues on your ballot, and take advantage of the resources available at VoteTexas.gov," Howden said.
Another backlog
The record comes as counties finish work on registration problems. Earlier this week, officials said they had cleared a backlog of hundreds of thousands of records caused by a software error in the Department of Public Safety's driver's license portal, as we reported Thursday.
Then on Thursday, county officials learned of a second state error, Votebeat and The Texas Tribune reported. It affected address updates made through Texas.gov between Sept. 1 and sometime last week. According to the Texas Association of County Election Officials, Bexar County received 3,000 records to process, Travis County 1,100, Williamson County 700 and Hays County 400.
"Just when most counties were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, another unexpected backlog is being dropped on county voter registrars," said Chris McGinn, the association's executive director.
Registrations postmarked or submitted to DPS by the Oct. 5 deadline are considered valid, and those voters can still cast a provisional ballot, the Tribune reported.
Do your part
Nineteen million names on a list is a stewardship, and the state owes every one of those voters an accurate roll. Voters can do their part too. Check your registration now, especially if you changed your address online this fall, and see what is on every Texas ballot before you go.
