The second week of early voting is underway, with over 105,000 Harris County voters already casting their ballots in the March primary elections — and more opting to vote in person than in previous years.
According to the Harris County Clerk’s Office Election Department, roughly 85 percent of all early voters are showing up at one of the county’s 79 early vote centers, and about 14 percent are voting by mail.
This is compared to the 67.9 percent voting in person and 32.2 percent casting their ballots by mail in 2020 — the last presidential election year.
Those eligible for a mail-in ballot include individuals 65 or older, those with a disability, those giving birth within three weeks before or after Election Day, or those expecting to be outside of Harris County.
The March primary elections mark Harris County’s first-ever joint primary elections, meaning that voters will have to decide what primary they are participating in — Democratic or Republican — when casting their ballots either in person or by mail.
Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said there are more than 100 races for federal, state and local offices. The party primary that voters choose to participate in and where they live will dictate how many races appear on their ballot.
Some of the more competitive contests for Harris County residents include the race for Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg against challenger former prosecutor Sean Teare and for U.S. House District 18 held featuring incumbent U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee going up against former Houston City Council At-Large member Amanda Edwards.
In a press conference at the start of early voting, Hudspeth said that voters can opt to be assisted by poll workers from their party or by either party. Democratic and Republican poll workers will have name tags to indicate which party they are with.
Those early voting in person will notice a change to the former two-page ballot, which now is a one-page ballot thanks to a recent software upgrade. This transition is expected to mitigate the possibility of paper jams and other technical difficulties that stemmed from using the older ballot papers.
For individuals who need to cast their ballots and do not want to wait to do it on Election Day, Tuesday, March 5, early voting continues through Friday, March 1. Harris County’s 79 early vote centers are open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For those who prefer voting on Election Day, the county’s 545 vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
