Story perspectives

Early Voting Breaks Records in Harris, Dallas Counties

By Drooid · Oct 20, 2026, 6:17 PM UTC · How we work

Center

Record Turnout

Early voting for the 2026 Texas midterms began Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, with record first-day turnout in Harris and Dallas counties.
County officials said sites operated smoothly, noting brief printer glitches at ten Collin County locations fixed within 90 minutes.
Harris County logged 104,201 ballots and Dallas County recorded 76,079 votes, both breaking prior records.
Polls show James Talarico ahead of Ken Paxton and Greg Abbott ahead of Gina Hinojosa.

Right

Massive PAC Spending

Early voting for the 2026 Texas midterm elections began Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, with record first-day turnout in Harris and Dallas counties.
The unprecedented turnout is viewed as a potential setback for Republican candidates in statewide races.
Republican political action committees spent more than $326 million supporting Attorney General Ken Paxton.
RealClearPolitics polls show Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico leading Paxton by 2.2 points.

Blindspot

Republican political action committees spent more than $326 million supporting Attorney General Ken Paxton in the 2026 Texas midterm elections, according to the Right-leaning source.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Right-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Center-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

In 2004 Texas voters gave incumbent President George W. Bush 4.5 million votes, 61 % of the 7.4 million ballots cast. The Bush campaign spent $367 million on TV ads, while John Kerry’s effort spent $326 million, showing the high cost of statewide outreach. The 2026 early-voting surge and PAC spending in Harris and Dallas counties mirrors that same reliance on massive pre-election financing.

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Record Turnout

Early voting for the 2026 Texas midterms began Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, with record first-day turnout in Harris and Dallas counties.
County officials said sites operated smoothly, noting brief printer glitches at ten Collin County locations fixed within 90 minutes.
Harris County logged 104,201 ballots and Dallas County recorded 76,079 votes, both breaking prior records.
Polls show James Talarico ahead of Ken Paxton and Greg Abbott ahead of Gina Hinojosa.

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