Harris County breaks early voting record with 104,660 first-day ballots
Harris County recorded 104,660 in-person ballots on the first day of early voting on October 19, 2026, exceeding the county's previous midterm first-day record of 63,188 set in 2018 by more than 41,000 votes. The turnout came as voters prepared for the November 3, 2026 Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico.
Earlier story. First reported Oct 21, 2026 at 7:58 am; added to this site Oct 22, 2026. Details may have changed since.
- When it happened
- October 19, 2026 (first day of early voting)
- Where
- Harris County, including Houston
- First reported by an outlet
- Oct 21, 2026 at 7:58 am
- Confirmed by
- 2 independent outlets
Taxes & money
| What | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Talarico campaign raised in third quarter of 2026 | $64 million[1] | Not stated |
| Paxton campaign raised in second quarter of 2026 | roughly $9 million[1] | Not stated |
| Paxton campaign raised in third quarter of 2026 | $18 million[1] | Not stated |
| Elon Musk contributed to Senate Leadership Fund | $158 million[1] | Elon Musk |
| Elon Musk directed to Lone Star Liberty PAC | $10 million[1] | Elon Musk |
| Combined ad spending across all phases of the race | surpassed $500 million[1] | Not stated |
Who's involved
- Teneshia Hudspeth · Harris County Clerk[1]
- Ken Paxton · Republican Senate candidate, state Attorney General[1]
- James Talarico · Democratic Senate candidate, four-term state House member from North Austin[1]
- John Cornyn · Four-term incumbent Senate seat holder defeated in May 26, 2026 Republican primary runoff[1]
The facts
- Harris County recorded 104,660 in-person ballots on October 19, 2026, the first day of early voting.[1]
- Harris County's October 19, 2026 first-day total exceeded the county's previous midterm first-day record of 63,188 set in 2018 by more than 41,000 votes.[1]
- More than 70,000 Harris County voters were already processed by 3:30 p.m. on October 19, 2026.[1]
- Ken Paxton won the May 26, 2026 Republican primary runoff with 63.8% of the vote.[1]
- James Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett and others in a competitive Democratic primary.[1]
- Texas Democrats have not won a statewide race since 1994.[1]
- Election Day for the 2026 Senate race is November 3, 2026.[1]
- Dallas County recorded 76,079 ballots on opening day of early voting, exceeding all previous first-day records including the 2020 presidential election opening-day record of 60,573.[1]
Who said what
- Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth declared the record broken before polls even closed on October 19, 2026[1]
- James Talarico's campaign reported raising $64 million in the third quarter of 2026, which the team said represents the highest single-quarter total ever recorded by a Senate candidate at that stage of a cycle[1]
- Analysts strong showings in Republican-leaning areas make predictions unreliable and the surge appears to reflect energy across both parties rather than a one-sided wave[1]
Sources
- News Not rated Texas Breaks Early Voting Records as Senate Race Hits Its Final Stretch Latin Times · Oct 21, 2026
- News Center Harris County breaks early voting records as Senate race heats up Click2Houston · Oct 22, 2026
Written by AI from the sources above, under fixed rules: every fact is cited, claims are kept apart from facts, and dollar figures appear only when a source states them. Mistakes get corrected in public.