Early voting continues for the November 3 general election. We know that at least 1M Texans had voted in person or by mail through yesterday (Tuesday), the first day of early voting in person. That said, many numbers reported to the Secretary of State were incomplete or incorrect, so we may not know for another day or so what the unofficial figure statewide will be.

Using a combination of county numbers and Secretary of State numbers, we know that at least 738K voted in person or by mail in the 15 counties with the most registered voters through yesterday. That is already at least 150K more than the previous Day One high of 576K in 2016. I say “already,” because it excludes Fort Bend Co., which did not report numbers on its website and for which the Secretary of State numbers are incomplete (no in-person voters).

Unofficially, each of the other 14 counties with the most registered voters saw record Day One turnout:

  • Harris Co. beat its Day One record by more than 40K voters.
  • Bexar Co. saw nearly 25K more Day One voters than its 2016 record.
  • Denton Co. appears to have doubled its previous best Day One figure.
  • More people voted on or before Day One in Cameron Co. than in 2012 and 2016 combined.

It appeared today (Wednesday) that turnout could again set a record for Day Two of the early voting period. Nearly 115K people in person today in Harris Co. compared to around 75K (including absentee ballots) in 2016. This brings the two-day total in Harris Co. to 288K voters, far in excess of the previous high in 2016 (205K).

Campaign Finance: Federal candidates must file their October quarterly reports tomorrow (Thursday). These reports will disclose contributions received and expenditures made between July 1 and September 30.

CD22 open (Toss Up): An internal GBAO poll released by Democratic nominee Sri Preston Kulkarni’s campaign shows him leading Fort Bend Co. Sheriff Troy Nehls, 48%-43%. Democratic challenger Joe Biden leads President Trump, 52%-43%, in the district.

CD23 open (Lean Democratic): San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg endorsed Democratic nominee Gina Ortiz Jones.

Drive-through Voting: A three-judge panel of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit seeking to close Harris County’s drive-through voting sites for lack of jurisdiction. The Court ruled that the plaintiffs – the Republican Party of Texas and a Harris Co. voter – lacked standing, and the suit was filed too late.

“The election is currently in progress, and the relators delayed filing this mandamus until over a month after learning” Harris Co. would offer drive-through voting, said the per curiam opinion.

©2020 Texas Election Source LLC