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Early voting in Texas surpasses 2016 total number of votes

2020-10-30T16:39:11.500Z


More than nine million ballots have already been registered, and although it is not clear who benefits from this electoral tide, there are indications of what may happen.


By Will Weissert and Paul J. Weber - The Associated Press

Texans have cast more early votes in this year's presidential and legislative elections than the total vote recorded in 2016, representing an unprecedented upturn in a state that was clearly Republican and is now up in the air.

As of Friday morning, more than 9 million votes were cast in Texas, the second most populous state in the country, surpassing the 8,969,226 registered in total in 2016, which was already a record, according to an advance vote count by The Associated Press based on data provided by state authorities.

This year's figures were boosted by Democratic activists who petitioned in court for, and won, the right to extend early voting for a week amid the coronavirus pandemic.

[Follow here all our coverage of the 2020 elections]

Texas also offers limited voting-by-mail options compared to other states in the country, which means that casting the vote in person, early, is the main way to avoid lines on November 3 and mitigate the risk of the pandemic. of coronavirus. 

Early Voting Center in Texas EFE

The Texas electorate is not registered by party affiliation, so no one can be sure which party benefited from the increased state turnout until the ballots are counted.

[Early Voting Continues to Break Records in the United States]

However, the fact that the state exceeded its vote total from the previous presidential elections with a few hours remaining in the early voting period, which ends on Friday, and before millions of people can vote on Election Day, shows a potential turn of the electoral tide.

[Texas is no longer considered safe for Republicans and is listed as a disputed state]

In that regard, the most populous county in Texas made a concerted effort to increase voter turnout and has kept eight polling places open for 24 hours. 

When rapper Bun B wrapped up his late-night performance during a drive-in concert to promote those 24-hour polling places in and around Houston, he urged fans to come out later that night, and early in the morning, to vote.

“It feels good to see my people who are ready to vote, ready to be heard.

If you have not yet voted, you must attend.

The polls are open right now, ”the Houston-based artist said Thursday.

Many heeded the rapper's advice as they flocked to polling sites in Harris County to cast their votes starting Thursday night and running through Friday.

Texas breaks record, already has almost 17 million registered voters

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"It's very convenient, especially for those people who work at night and sleep during the day," said Silveria Sánchez, 36, an emergency medical technician operator, after voting past midnight Friday during a break from her shift. night at Texas Medical Center.

He walked five minutes to cast his vote at a polling station in a food court in Houston's sprawling hospital complex.

Harris County officials have launched innovative initiatives to make voting easier in presidential elections.

In addition to 24-hour voting sites, the county offers car voting and has encouraged its voters to cast their early vote. 

Early morning queue to vote in a center in Texas.Getty Images

By Thursday night, the county had surpassed its entire 2016 voter turnout of 1.3 million votes cast. 

That increase came even as Harris County challenged the state on limits on voting by mail and drop boxes for absentee ballots.

[Polls point to a winner in the elections.

But these 5 scenarios could change everything]

"Hopefully, in the future, dozens of counties can follow our lead and offer a 24-hour voting day to support their voters," said Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins.

Polling places that remain open 24 hours are not common, according to Michael Pomante, an assistant professor of political science at Jacksonville University in Florida.

In March, Los Angeles County offered six 24-hour polling places in the presidential primaries.

"Harris County appears to be doing what it can at its level to improve access to the polls," Pomante said.

Long lines in Texas on their first day of early voting

Oct. 13, 202000: 28

Some of those who attended the Bun B concert later drove to a voting center near the NRG Arena, which saw a steady stream of voters late at night and early in the morning.

Some danced while a DJ kept the party going in a parking lot.

[Both President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, urged Americans to vote in person and stop voting by mail now]

At around 11 p.m. Thursday, Claudia Macias, 46, an educator from Houston, had cast her vote.

She recalled how a woman who voted before her escorted her much older mother who had "dressed to the nines" to go out to vote.

The woman apologized to Macias because her mother was slow.

“I said, 'We have 24 hours.

Don't worry about the time.

Let him take his time coming in and voting. "

Queue to vote in a center in Texas.Getty Images

About three miles (five kilometers) apart, at the Texas Medical Center, Ashley Lee, 32, Christian Mata, 24, and Tiffany Wiltz voted around 1 a.m. They are all pharmacy technicians at Baylor St. Luke's. Medical Center and generally work until 11pm

[The Supreme Court has extended the period to receive votes by mail in Pennsylvania, by three days] 

Lee said having the 24-hour polling place at the medical center made sense, as many healthcare workers have shifts that make it difficult for them to vote.

“We work long hours.

This is perfect, ”Wiltz commented.

At Victory Worship Center, a church in North Houston, a steady stream of voters turned out Thursday night and early Friday.

Around 2 a.m., the pace had slowed down.

"I was surprised by how many people came in. We've had a good flow," said Herman Williams, the district judge at the electoral college. 


At a multi-service center in Kashmere Gardens, one of Houston's historically African-American neighborhoods, Felix Sylvester, 65, was the only person to cast his vote around 3 a.m. Friday.

He voted after finishing his shift at a suburban Houston grain silo around 2 a.m. Sylvester said he hopes the county will have 24-hour polling places in future elections.

"It would accommodate those of us who want to avoid those lines and it would also accommodate those of us who have this type of work - at odd hours," he said. 

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county's top elected official, said she hopes the 24-hour polling places will become permanent: “People want to participate.

They just have to be invited.

This effort is part of that.

It is part of really opening the doors of the Government ”.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2020-10-30

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