Bexar County Shatters Early Voting Record With 42,776 Ballots on Day One
The first day of early voting for the November midterms drew more ballots than any non-presidential opener in county history — and the lines have barely let up since.
Bexar County voters made history on Monday, casting 42,776 ballots on the first day of early voting for the November 3 midterm elections — the highest first-day turnout for a non-presidential election in the county's history, according to county elections reporting. The only bigger opener on record is the nearly 47,000 ballots cast on the first day of the 2024 presidential election.
The surge kept polling places busy well past posted hours, with some voters casting ballots as late as 9 p.m. on Monday. Anyone in line when polls close is still allowed to vote, and elections officials spent the week reminding voters to allow extra time for a long ballot. By 11 a.m. Tuesday, another 12,191 ballots had already been cast.
To keep up, the Bexar County Elections Department deployed additional voting equipment to its highest-turnout sites, including Fair Oaks Police Department, Helotes City Hall, Northwest Vista College, the Schaefer and Semmes branch libraries, Shavano Park City Hall, Valley Ranch and the Windcrest Civic Center.
Early voting runs through Friday, October 30, at 58 locations across the county, and registered Bexar County voters can cast a ballot at any of them. Polls are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, with hours expanding to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the final week.
