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Of the over 18.6 million registered voters in Texas, more than 1.5 million have already voted early ahead of the November 5th general election, according to data from the Secretary of State.
On Monday, October 21st, the first day of early voting, more than 843,000 people voted, which is an increase of 11.6% over 2020 and a 114% increase over 2016.
This comes as many Republican leaders have begun openly encouraging voters to get out and bank their votes early. Traditionally, Republicans tend to wait to vote on Election Day, but that seems to be changing.
Former President Donald Trump's daughter-in-law and RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump spoke at a rally earlier in October and encouraged supporters to "go vote early, and take every person you know to go vote early."
The large increase in early voting here in Texas is also likely due to a significant increase in registered voters residing in the state. Texas' current total of 18,623,931 voters represents a 10% increase from four years ago when the state had just under 17 million voters.