Early voting tally shows large turnout in Texas GOP Senate runoff, drop from March primary rate
Key takeaways
- Data from the Texas Secretary of State s office shows there were 829,119 mail-in and in-person votes cast in the Republican primary during the week of early voting.
- While it s a greater turnout than prior May runoffs, it was also a 61 percent decrease compared to the March Republican primary, which saw 1,342,995 early voters.
- The comparatively higher turnout this May could be due to the battle between Sen.
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
Data from the Texas Secretary of State s office shows there were 829,119 mail-in and in-person votes cast in the Republican primary during the week of early voting. That reflects a 103 percent increase from the Republican primary runoff in 2020; a 77 percent increase from 2022; and a 230 percent increase from 2024.
While it s a greater turnout than prior May runoffs, it was also a 61 percent decrease compared to the March Republican primary, which saw 1,342,995 early voters. The Democratic primary had 1,493,355 votes cast during early voting in March.
The comparatively higher turnout this May could be due to the battle between Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for the GOP s Senate nomination. While Cornyn edged out Paxton in the March primary by less than 20,000 votes, neither secured a majority of the vote.