Record Turnout and Security Concerns Shape Texas' Early Voting Season

Early voting began Monday in Texas and more than 2.8 million Texans voted during the first three days. A record-setting number, but a slightly lower voter turnout than in the 2020 elections when accounting for the 1.7 million new registered voters.

Per a Texas Tribune analysis, 15.1% of registered voters have cast their ballots so far compared to 15.7% in 2020. In total, the state has a record-breaking 18.6 million registered voters.

Two of the state's most populous counties — Denton and Fort Bend — have broken their turnout records during the first three days of early voting, the Tribune found. Meanwhile, Dallas, El Paso, and Harris counties have seen a drop.

Secretary of State Jane Nelson celebrated the results in an interview with WFAA and shared her growing concerns around election security, misinformation, and threats against election workers.

"Rumors and misinformation have always been a part of elections," she said. "What has amplified that though is social media."

Nelson cited a Monday incident in which a Tarrant County voter pressed the wrong option and reported the issue to election officials. The resident was allowed to discard the original ballot and submit a new one.

However, a misinterpretation of the incident went viral, and social media users falsely claimed voting machines were flipping votes favoring Democratic candidates.

Election officials have since debunked the rumors, encouraging voters to go over their ballots before submitting them and reporting irregularities to the Secretary of State.

"Rumors catch fire, that is a perfect example of what actually happened," Nelson said, "It is very difficult to counter that with the actual facts."

Amid nationwide attacks and threats directed at election officials, the Texas Secretary of State told WFAA that election administrators across the state's 254 counties have received de-escalation training.

Nelson also talked about the state's continued effort to identify noncitizen voters, as she and other top Republican officials urge the federal government to provide personalized data on people whose citizenship status is not clear. Nelson confirmed the state is investigating the citizenship status of around 6,500 registered voters.

The WFAA reporter asked Nelson why the state waited to sue the Biden Administration just before the elections, citing misinformation concerns that could potentially discourage some voters from casting their ballots.

"We thought we would get better cooperation," Nelson responded. "There has to be a better way – to submit those names that we haven't been able to narrow down to find out whether these people are citizens or not."

As Election Day nears, Nelson called for civility, assuring Texans their vote will be protected. "Voters in Texas need to be assured that Texas elections will be more secure than they've ever been," she said.

Early voting spans two weeks. Analysis by the Texas Tribune reveals a stronger Republican presence, with 1.1 million early voters linked to Republican primaries versus 715,180 Democratic primary voters. Political analysts suggest Republicans are benefitting from early voting enthusiasm, with final turnout expected to fall between 2016 and 2020 levels.