Turnout in primary midterm elections has historically been low, with less than a quarter of registered voters casting ballots most years. The latest turnout data published by the Texas secretary of state shows that turnout was low after the two-week early voting period.
New rules for voting by mail enacted last year by Republican lawmakers have led to the rejection of hundreds of vote-by-mail applications because they did not meet the new requirements. In addition, thousands of vote-by-mail applications were delayed because Patrick’s campaign instructed eligible voters to send requests for absentee ballots to the Texas secretary of state’s office instead of their local elections offices.
Additionally, domestic mail-in ballots turned in and postmarked by election day will be counted if they arrive as late as 5 p.m. March 3. Military and overseas voters have until March 7 for their mail-in ballots postmarked by election day to arrive. In close races, mail-in votes could determine the winner, which could delay calling the race. The certification of final election results must be completed by March 13.
The Texas Tribune’s election data is provided by Decision Desk HQ, which gathers information from the secretary of state’s office and a representative sample of 28 counties. Decision Desk will call winners and provide estimates as to how many votes are left to be counted.
