Election 2020
Austin and Texas shatter 2016 voting numbers ahead of Election Day
KVUE — With one day left of early voting and Election Day around the corner, Texas has officially surpassed its total 2016 votes cast.
According to the Texas Secretary of State website, as of Thursday, October 29, Texas has cast a total of 9,009,850 votes so far in the 2020 presidential election. In the 2016 presidential election, 8,969,226 votes were cast through early voting and Election Day across the state of Texas.
The Texans who have voted make up about half of all registered voters in the state.
In Central Texas, Hays, Williamson and Travis counties have surpassed the total 2016 voter turnout. Harris County passed its 2016 voter turnout as well Thursday night.
Normally a reliably red state, Texas is seen as being in play this year in the race for president between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. Brian Smith, a professor of political science at St. Edward’s University, said one of the biggest metrics in determining if a state is a battleground is polling.
He said that states with recent polls favoring one candidate over the other by only a few points would fit the bill. Recent polls in Texas have shown a tight race between Trump and Biden.
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