Austin, TX — In the first week of early voting, turnout for the Texas Democratic primary has shattered 2016’s turnout, with more than 82,000 more Texans voting in the Texas Democratic Primary in-person in the most populous 15 counties as compared to four years ago.

Additionally, mail-in ballots are much higher in the Democratic primary in counties that have reported than in 2016. In December, the Texas Democratic Party launched its largest vote-by-mail program in party history, mailing 925,000 ballots to eligible Texas voters.

(See below for county-by-county Democratic primary numbers as of February 23)

Some additional highlights include:

• Almost 20,000 more voters in the Democratic primary through the first 5 days in Harris County as compared to 2016.
• A 140% increase in early voting for Democrats in Fort Bend County.
• Bexar county seeing Democratic turnout 50 percent higher than it was in the 2016 primary.
• Republican turnout dropping in several big counties, such as Dallas, Tarrant, and Collin.

Texas Democratic Party Executive Director Manny Garcia issued the following statement:

“Texas is changing and the energy seen from Texas Democrats in the first week of early voting will carry us in November. Texas Democrats are ready to win up and down the ballot, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood. This is our moment.

“Texas is the biggest battleground state in the country. Our movement will win the White House, take out John Cornyn, flip several Congressional seats, break the supermajority in the Texas Senate, take back the Texas House, and win hundreds of local races across the state.”

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