Politics
North Texas early voting opens with sharp gains over 2022 midterm
More voters cast ballots on the first day of early voting in Dallas, Tarrant, Denton and Collin counties than on the comparable day in 2022. Dallas County also surpassed its first-day total from the 2024 presidential election, while the other three counties remained below their 2024 figures.
Early voting for Texas’ Nov. 3, 2026, midterm election began Monday, Oct. 19, with all four of North Texas’ largest counties reporting more first-day ballots than in the 2022 midterm election.
Dallas County recorded 76,079 votes, compared with 32,605 on the first day of early voting in 2022 and 56,431 in 2024, according to county election officials and Texas Secretary of State data.
Tarrant County reported 50,409 ballots, up from 29,197 in 2022 but below the 58,487 cast on the first day of early voting in the 2024 presidential election.
Denton County counted 34,739 ballots, more than 17,000 above its 2022 total. Its first-day count in 2024 was 50,661. Collin County reported 34,522 votes, about 15,000 more than in 2022 and nearly 10,000 fewer than its 2024 total of 43,987.
Voting in parts of Collin County was disrupted Monday morning by ballot-printer problems. The county election commissioner said about 10 early-voting locations were affected and that service was later restored. Some voters said they left without voting, but officials had not determined how long the problems lasted or how many people were unable to cast a ballot.
The first-day counts show a substantial increase over the previous midterm in each county, though the 2024 presidential election drew higher opening-day turnout in Tarrant, Denton and Collin counties. Early voting offers residents a chance to cast ballots before Election Day, but the reported figures cover only the first day and do not indicate how many voters will participate over the full election period.