Two large Texas counties are hitting record numbers when it comes to early voting. Only five days into the early voting period, Denton and Harris counties have seen almost twice as many voters come out compared to 2016.
Voters in Denton on Sunday said they are eager to make sure their voices are heard.
“It’s really important, it runs deep in my family and we couldn’t always vote so I take it as a privilege to vote,” Chris Reid said.
More than 153,000 Denton County residents have cast their ballots compared to the 96,000 by this time in 2016.
“They’re turning out everywhere, it’s not just in one particular location,” said Denton County Elections Administrator Frank Phillips.
ONLINE: Your Voter Guide for the 2020 November General Election is here, with information on Federal, State and Local Races
Phillips said that Denton County is one of the fastest growing in the nation, with more than 100,000 voters moving into the area since the last presidential election. Voters say they are not surprised by the record turnout.
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“We have a large number of people that are well educated and that care about our community,” said voter Donna Pavelek.
Polling locations in Denton County are open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day other than on Sunday, when they’re open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Elections administrators say they want to make it easy by keeping the lines short.
“The best way to prevent that or to mitigate that at least is to be open, and so if we’re open every opportunity we can, that’s what we want to do,” Phillips said.
Even those who don’t typically follow politics say this is an election they didn’t want to miss. They expect Denton County voters will keep coming out through Election Day.
“I’ve never really been into politics, I’ve never really cared to vote,” said Leon Williams. “But this year, with everything that’s happened, I think it’s really opened people’s eyes. Which way do you want the future of you and your family? That’s the way I see it.”
Early voting in Texas continues through Friday, Oct. 30.
