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UpdateTexasWednesday, October 28, 2026

Texas early voting sees high turnout, long waits and machine complaints

Reporting by
Texas Public Radio
“Record early voting turnout in Texas accompanied by long lines, voting machine complaints and registration problems”, Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Read the full story
What happened

Nearly 4.5 million Texans cast ballots in the first seven days of early voting ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, representing 23.4% of registered voters. The pace was ahead of the 2022 midterms. In Bexar County, nearly 301,000 ballots had been cast by Sunday, though voters faced waits of two to four hours.1

There were isolated complaints of touchscreen machines changing selections. Approximately 159,000 county voters were placed on the state suspense list due to address questions, but voters on the suspense list remain eligible to cast ballots and may need to confirm their residence.1

4.5 million
Texans who cast ballots in first seven days of early voting1
23.4%
of registered voters who cast ballots in first seven days1
159,000
Bexar County voters on suspense list1
What it means in Texas

What this means for Texas voters

Early voting in Texas runs from Monday October 19 through Friday October 30, 2026.2

Key dates in Texas

Election Day in 6 days
  1. Mon, Oct 5 · passed
    Registration deadline
  2. Mon, Oct 19 · passed
    Early voting begins
  3. Fri, Oct 23 · passed
    Last day for mail ballot applications
  4. Tue, Nov 3 · 6 days
    Election Day
  5. Wed, Nov 4 · 7 days
    Mail ballots must arrive
  6. Tue, Nov 17 · 20 days
    County/Local certification
  7. Mon, Dec 7 · 40 days
    State certification

Every date in Texas, and who certifies the election

The answers behind this
Mail and early votingVoting in Texas, 2026How do I vote by mail or early in Texas in 2026?What are my rights at the polls in Texas?

Explore this issue

OverviewUpdates In depthMontana student voting case left previous rules in place for Election Day In depthNorth Carolina disqualified hundreds of mail ballots over unsealed envelopes In depthDOJ claimed over 400 noncitizens voted in Washington, ordered ballots set aside In depthMichigan voters returned 1.3 million ballots with one week until Election Day In depthNash County moved Sharpsburg polling place for Election Day In depthPima County officials said mail ballot delay claims were unfounded In depthArizona AG threatened to sue Maricopa recorder over 24 voters flagged In depthFake flyers mimicking real group appeared in Texas mailboxes In depthDemocrats sued to block Trump administration threats to election officials In depthNorth Carolina rejected more mail ballots after stricter rules In depthNorth Carolina governor criticized new mail ballot rules after rejections doubled In depthDOJ considering lawsuits to force states to investigate noncitizens on rolls

Sources

  1. Texas Public Radio, https://tpr.org/podcast/the-source/2026-10-27/record-early-voting-turnout-in-texas-accompanied-by-long-lines-voting-machine-complaints-and-registration-problems · Wednesday, October 28, 2026
  2. Vote.org, Texas Election Center, https://www.vote.org/state/texas/

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