More than 700,000 Harris County voters had voted early in person or returned a mail ballot through Monday, according to the Harris County Clerk's Office. Voters are casting ballots at a faster pace than in the last midterm election.
Steven David, a former Houston city executive who ran for Congress as a Democrat in 2018, analyzed public voting records. He said the county's early vote is ahead of where it was at the same point in the 2022 midterm. "Right now in Harris County, we are 1.6 times more than in 2022, the last off-cycle election, and we're at about 86% of a presidential election," David said. He said the pace looks more like a presidential year. David created an online dashboard that compares turnout and voting history.
Voters interviewed by KPRC 2 cited different concerns. Edward Hernandez, who identified himself as a Democratic voter, said cost of living is on his mind. Laura Payne said she usually leans Republican but considers herself independent when choosing candidates. She said public schools are among her major concerns and that this year the choice became about what each party stands for.