HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Harris County voters spent the first week of early voting breaking records. More than half a million people have voted since polls opened Monday, or about one in five registered voters in the county. No midterm record in the county since 1998 has gotten off to a faster start.
The rush started from day one. More than 104,000 people voted in person Monday, a record for a first day for a midterm and more than any day of early voting in 2018 or 2022. The days that followed were almost as busy, and each beat the same day in the last two midterms.
The top of the ballot gives voters plenty of reasons to turn out. John Cornyn’s U.S. Senate seat is up for grabs after Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated him in a Republican primary runoff in May. Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico and Libertarian Ted Brown. Governor Greg Abbott is seeking a fourth term against Democrat Gina Hinojosa and Libertarian Pat Dixon.
RELATED READ: Who’s on the ballot? What you need to know ahead of the 2026 midterm elections
Closer to home, Harris County is choosing a new county judge for the first time since Lina Hidalgo took office. Hidalgo is not seeking re-election and two former Houston City Council members, Democrat Letitia Plummer and Republican Orlando Sanchez, are running to replace her. The county judge presides over the Commissioners Court, which sets the county’s budget and tax rate.
It’s harder to say what turnout means for the results. Nancy Sims, a political science expert at the University of Houston, told ABC13 that turnout is high even in the traditionally Republican suburban areas of the county. And because Harris County voters can vote anywhere, “it’s a little difficult to extrapolate,” she said. It’s too early to call anything.
The early rush is part of a longer shift. Fewer people are voting on Election Day, Sims told ABC13 earlier this month, and the county has fewer Election Day polling places this year than in 2022.
Part of the jump is simple growth. Harris County has about 400,000 more registered voters than in 2018. But even measured as a percentage of overall voters, turnout is higher than in every midterm on record.
The busiest place to vote this year is in Cypress. The Richard and Meg Weekley Community Center attracted more voters than any other early voting site, surpassing the West Gray Multi-Service Center near downtown, which held that spot in previous elections. “Cypress is a very large area,” voter Daysi Harper told ABC13.
Other popular locations include Kingwood, Jersey Village and the HCC West Loop South campus. The busiest centers each registered more than 10,000 voters. At the other end, Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church on Flagship Drive held fewer than 700.
Any registered voter in Harris County can vote at one of the county’s 75 early voting centers. As of Saturday morning, the county’s own estimates put the wait at less than 15 minutes for 67 of them.
By all records, about 4 out of 5 registered voters in Harris County have not yet cast a ballot. If turnout only reaches that of the 2022 midterms, about 600,000 more people will vote by Election Day.
Voting by mail represents only a small part of the total. Most of the mail-in ballots counted so far arrived on the first day, the same pattern seen in the county in 2022 and 2024.
Participation is strong across the region. In Fort Bend County, nearly one in four registered voters have already cast a ballot, a higher proportion than in Harris. Fort Bend voters are also choosing a county judge, with Republican Daniel Wong facing Democrat Dexter McCoy. Statewide, more than 3.5 million Texans voted in the first five days.
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