Harris County early voter turnout in 2024 is more than 80,000 below 2020 record – Houston Public Media

Ariel Worthy

More than 1.2 million Harris County residents participated in early voting this year, falling short of the record turnout of about 1.4 million in 2020.

According to unofficial results from the Texas Secretary of State, 1,176,426 people voted in person in early voting across Harris County. As of the last day of early voting, November 1, 53,500 people had already voted by mail, bringing the total to 1,229,926 ballots cast during early voting.

This is the second-highest number of ballots ever cast during early voting in Harris County. 2020 still holds the record with 1,265,405 in-person ballots and 171,247 mail-in ballots cast during early voting. That's about 88,000 more in-person voters and 117,000 more mail-in ballots than in 2024.

Overall, early voter turnout among registered voters was also lower this year compared to 2020. In 2020, 57.92% of Harris County's 2.4 million registered voters voted in early voting, while this year only 45.67% of nearly 2.7 million registered voters voted early, according to the secretary of state.

One possible reason for the decline is that there were only two weeks of early voting this year, while in 2020 there were three weeks to adjust for the COVID pandemic. Since the 2020 election, new state voter ID laws have also taken effect, reducing the number of voters eligible for an absentee ballot.

On Monday, Harris County County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth released a statement, saying some of the statistics about the number of voters at certain early voting centers may be inaccurate due to a spreadsheet error.

“While updating the daily record of early voting totals for two voting centers (Baytown Community Center and Mission Bend Center), the formatting of the table was inadvertently misaligned, causing cells to move and reflect incorrect numbers for other locations,” she said in a statement. “Our office is aware of this and is actively working to correct the report. As a reminder, as indicated in red at the end of the Early Voter Totals Report, in-person early voter numbers are UNOFFICIAL until all administrative documents collected from each voting center are verified and reconciled in accordance with the Texas Elections Code (TEC). became ). I assure you that every vote cast will be accurately counted.”

It is unclear whether or not this error affected the reported total number of early votes. All 2024 early voting numbers are unofficial numbers sent to the Secretary of State by county election officials. Official figures will only be announced after the election.

Montgomery County

Montgomery County has set a new record for voter turnout. This year, 239,849 people voted in person, 9,706 of whom voted by mail, for a total of 249,555 early votes. In total, this is an increase of over 12,000 votes compared to voter turnout in 2020.

Despite an increase in total votes cast, turnout among registered voters in Montgomery County fell nearly 10%. In 2020, 64.01% of the county's 370,000 voters cast ballots, while this year only 54.99% of the county's 453,832 voters voted early.

Fort Bend County

Fort Bend County failed to beat its 2020 record for early voter turnout, with nearly 24,000 fewer votes this year.

In early voting this year, 297,652 voters in Fort Bend County voted in person and 7,558 voted by mail. In 2020, 301,119 people voted early in person and 28,212 voted early by mail. The number of registered voters in Fort Bend County increased from 482,368 to 555,569. However, the overall voter turnout fell from 68.27% to 54.94%.

Galveston County

Galveston County saw a slight decrease in early voting, with about 3,500 fewer people voting early this year compared to 2020.

This year, 129,196 Galveston County residents voted early in person, while 4,908 voted by mail, for a total of 134,104 early votes. In 2020, 137,532 people voted early – either by mail or in person. Although the county gained over 17,000 registered voters, early voter turnout increased from 60.19% in 2020 to 54.58% in 2024.

Nationwide

More than 9 million Texas people participated in early voting this year, nearly matching the state's record set in 2020.

To date, 8,712,070 people in Texas have voted in person and 347,965 have chosen to vote by mail, for a total of 9,060,035 early votes. In 2020, approximately 9,702,263 Texans participated in early voting.

Although both in-person and mail-in ballots fell this year, there was a significant decline in mail-in ballots, with approximately 500,000 fewer mail-in ballots cast during early voting this year.

Overall voter turnout nationwide also fell by almost 10%, from 57.22% in 2020 to 48.65% in 2024.

Election day is Tuesday, November 5th. Harris County polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and mail-in ballots must be postmarked no later than November 5th. A complete list of polling locations can be found on the Harris Votes website.

Harris County residents will have several hotlines available throughout Election Day to answer election-related questions.

Residents may call the Harris County Tax Office for a variety of reasons, including: B. to check the status of their voter registration and inquire about the nearest polling station.

There are four hotlines for different languages:

• English: (713) 274-8200
• Spanish: (713) 274-8201
• Vietnamese: (713) 274-8202
• Chinese: (713) 274-8203

The office says all hotlines will be available on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“I am proud to announce that our dedicated office staff, who have undergone extensive training, are committed to assisting election judges and voters with any questions regarding the November 5, 2024 general election. “Your commitment will ensure a positive voting experience for all Harris County voters,” said Ann Harris Bennet, county tax assessor and voter registrar. For more information, see www.harrisvotes.com.

Information about other counties' polling locations and hours of operation can be found on each county's website.