AUSTIN, Texas — More than 7.6 million Texans voted before Election Day in the 2026 midterms, shattering the state's midterm early-vote record, according to unofficial totals from the Texas Secretary of State reported by KHOU. The count of 7.615 million early ballots — in-person votes and mail ballots together — is far above the 5.49 million who voted early in the 2022 midterms, and is the most early votes ever cast in a Texas midterm.

Source: Texas Secretary of State via KHOU

Two counts, one record — and a turnout rate past 2018

The Texas Tribune, citing preliminary state data as of Sunday morning, put the count higher still — above 7.7 million, or 40.5% of registered voters — a turnout rate that passes the modern-day midterm high-water mark set in 2018, the Tribune reported. The two figures differ because counties report their own totals and late reports and mail ballots are still arriving; all 2026 figures are unofficial. The early vote alone is already close to the 8,102,908 Texans who voted in the entire 2022 general election, Election Day included, according to the Secretary of State's turnout history. Texas also simply has more voters than in past midterms: 19.04 million registered this year, up from 17.67 million in 2022. Early voting in Texas closed on Friday, October 30, the Texas Signal reported, and over 7.7 million Texans cast a ballot in person or by mail.

“We're not going to hit presidential levels, but this is definitely high turnout,” Rice University political scientist Mark Jones told the Tribune. “The question that is still out there is, and this happens every time that we try to interpret early voting numbers: How many votes are actually still out there?” Texans cast 9 million early ballots in the 2024 presidential election, according to the Tribune — the benchmark Tuesday's final turnout will be measured against, and a reminder that an early-vote record shows participation, not who is winning: Texas does not count ballots by candidate before Election Day.

Harris County tops one million; Houston-area counties surge

Harris County, which includes Houston and is home to one of the largest Punjabi and broader South Asian communities in Texas, saw its early vote rise 34.2% from 2022 — from 750,116 to 1,006,505 — according to state numbers as of 8 a.m. Sunday reported by KHOU. Other Houston-area counties rose even faster in percentage terms: Fort Bend County reached 273,846 early votes, up 46.3%; Montgomery County 191,878, up 37.0%; and Brazoria County 117,056, up 44.4%.

Source: Texas Secretary of State via KHOU

The records were not only in Houston. Urban counties including Travis, Tarrant and Collin notched record early-voting totals, and at least fifteen counties have posted early-voting totals surpassing their entire turnout in 2022 — including the sizable counties of Williamson, Denton, Collin, Fort Bend and Hidalgo, the Texas Signal reported. Data scientist Tom Bonier noted that over 760,000 early voters in Texas did not vote in 2024 at all, a sign the midterm electorate is pulling in people beyond the presidential-year base.

Source: Texas Signal

Background: why a midterm is behaving like a presidential year

Midterms — the elections held halfway through a president's four-year term — usually draw far fewer voters than presidential elections, and Texas midterms have historically sat near the bottom of state turnout tables. This year all 435 U.S. House seats and 35 Senate seats are on the ballot nationally, control of Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump's second term is at stake, and Texas voters are also deciding state and local races and propositions down the ballot. The national picture matches the Texas one: more than 51 million Americans had voted early by the weekend, passing the entire 2022 early vote before Election Day — a national record Awaaz Punjab reported earlier; the Texas final is the state-level completion of that story, in the state where the surge is largest.

What happens next: Election Day, Tuesday November 3

The state's official election account urged the rest to turn out on Tuesday: “Texans show up! More than 7.5 million Texans voted during the early voting period, with some counties still finalizing reporting. Eligible Texans who haven't voted yet can cast their ballot on Nov. 3. Polling locations will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,” VoteTexas, the Secretary of State's official account, posted on October 31. On Election Day, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, and voters can find their polling place and ID requirements at VoteTexas.gov. County totals may still change slightly as late reports and mail ballots arrive, and the early-vote lead says nothing about results — counting begins under Texas rules on Election Day.