Dallas County sees record turnout for first day of 2026 early voting

DALLAS - The first day of early voting in Texas brought about a record number of voters in Dallas County, according to early reports.

Dallas County Early Voting

What we know:

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said the county saw 76,079 voters turn out for the first day of early voting.

That's an increase of nearly 20,000 from the first day of early voting for the 2024 general election in Dallas County. That year, the county reported an unofficial total of 56,431 early voters on the first day.

In addition, the 2026 total is the most the county has ever seen on the first day of early voting. The previous record came in 2020, when the county reported an unofficial total of 60,573 voters on day one of early voting.

The current U.S. Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico has drawn historical parallels to 2018, when Ted Cruz defeated Beto O'Rourke in a high-profile Senate race during Donald Trump's first midterm as president. 

That year, the county reported 59,388 votes on the first day of early voting.

Local perspective:

Dallas County Elections Communications Manager Nicholas Solorzano called the record numbers exciting and said the pace continued on Tuesday morning.

He was not aware of any big problems at Dallas County polling locations.

"Everything’s been nice and smooth. We prepare, you know, months and months ahead of time or we train all of our poll workers and election clerks. It’s been really great," he said. "You know, we’ve had a couple of lines. Fred’s Park Library, Oak Lawn Library, they all voted I think over 2,500 people over that 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. period. So, couple lines here and there. But it’s going to be way better and way easier to vote than waiting until election day."

Solorzano said another benefit of voting early is being able to address voter registration issues if there are any.

"We have 84 early voting locations. We have 444 election day locations. But please, please, please come out. Join us. Vote early. Again, 84 voting locations open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day but Sunday. It’s 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. We’re here. We’re waiting for you. We’re hoping for 100% turnout," he said. 

Does it mean anything?

Big picture view:

John Taylor, the chair of the University of Texas at San Antonio’s political science department, said only time will tell if the early numbers mean anything significant. Voters may simply be ready to get it over with.

"I think they may be ready to get it over with, given all the ads. They’ve seen it interrupting their football games, among other things. There’s something to be said for they’re chomping at the bit. Just get it done. Let’s vote. Boom. Be done. I think there’s something to that," he said.

Taylor said there has certainly been enthusiasm on the side of the Democrats. But he warned that early enthusiasm for Democratic candidates hasn’t always helped them win races. 

"We have to wait and see what happens. In 2024, we saw large early voting numbers with some people thinking that might bode well for Kamala Harris," he said. "It ended up not being that case."

He’s not convinced that the overall voter turnout will be higher for this midterm election than it was for the presidential election.

"Texas is notorious for having relatively low voter turnout for midterms, somewhere around maybe 38% to 45%. So if we go into the upper 50s or low 60s, that would just be phenomenal," he said.

When can I vote early in Dallas County?

Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election begins on Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 30. 

The polls will be open:

• Oct. 19 through Oct. 24 from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
• Oct. 25 from 12 p.m. until 6 p.m.
• Oct. 26 through Oct. 30 from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Where can I vote early in Dallas County?

To find an early voting center that's in your area, visit the Dallas County Early Voting Location Finder. All voting centers and their addresses are listed in the document below.

If you have questions about your ballot, voting locations, or anything else, ask your county election office.

Anderson County | Bosque County | Collin County | Cooke County | Dallas County | Delta County | Denton County | Ellis County | Erath County | Fannin County | Freestone County | Henderson County | Hill County | Hood County | Hopkins County | Hunt County | Jack County | Johnson County | Kaufman County | Lamar County | Navarro County | Palo Pinto County | Parker County | Rains County | Red River County | Rockwall County | Somervell County | Tarrant County | Van Zandt County | Wise County

If you have more questions about the voting process, you can find more information here.

Dallas County2026 ElectionsPoliticsTexas Politics