2026 midterm elections: Travis County gives behind-the-scenes look ahead of early voting
Travis Co. Clerk gives look at election logistics
Early voting starts Oct. 19, and the Travis County Clerk is preparing for what could be a historic turnout of voters this election cycle.
AUSTIN, Texas - Early voting starts on Monday, and the Travis County Clerk's Office is preparing for a possible historic turnout of voters this election cycle.
They gave a behind-the-scenes look at election logistics, something they've been working on for months.
By the numbers:
Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado says there are about 940,000 registered voters in Travis County, and they've had about 27,000 applications for mail-in ballots.
There will be 201 Election Day polling places this year and over 1,000 election workers.
Behind-the-scenes preparation for the midterms
What they're saying:
Large containers, which are essentially a polling place in a box, hold all the tools necessary for a polling place. They have to be shipped to each polling place.
Ballot scanners also have to be transported. After you scan your ballot, the information goes into a USB that will go in a green bag that's smart tagged for chain of custody. Mail-in ballots are already being processed.
The call center is busy, confirming election workers and helping voters who applied for mail-in ballots. If there are any issues at a polling place or cases of voter intimidation, you will also call the center. The number is 512-238-VOTE.
Limon-Mercado says election security is always top of mind.
"We plan for all different types of scenarios ahead of every election," she said.
She says it's important to check your sample ballot ahead of time.
"In the primary elections, we saw a lot of first-time primary voters, which is an exciting problem to have. The sort of trickle-down effect of so many first-time voters was that a lot those voters were unprepared for how long their ballot was when they got inside the ballot booth," she said.
Limon-Mercado says you won't necessarily see law enforcement when you're voting unless you're in a building that already has them as security. If there's a problem, law enforcement is aware of the polling locations. Limon-Mercado said the presence of ICE agents is not a concern for them.
DPS backlog processed in Travis County
The backstory:
Limon-Mercado also says a backlog from DPS has been cleared for Travis County. That's when voter registration applications submitted through DPS weren't processed.
[The] DPS backlog was sort of an extension related to systems breakdowns at the state level. We've continued to work with the state where we can put in place workarounds and debug different issues that we're having. This comes up particularly on ballot by mail and making sure that information is entered accurately and timely," she said.
Voting information
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Texas voting guide: Early voting begins Oct. 19. Here's what you should know
Early voting in Texas begins on Oct. 19.
What you can do:
Early voting will take place from Monday, Oct. 19 through Friday, Oct. 30. The polling places will be open from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m., as will be the case on Election Day.
Early voting includes the weekend, and there will be extended hours on the last Thursday and Friday of early voting until 10 p.m. at the seven largest sites.
For Travis, Williamson, and most other counties in Central Texas, you can vote at any location in the county you're registered in. Note in Caldwell, Fayette, and Gillespie counties, you have to vote at your assigned precinct.
To check your voter registration and sample ballot for Travis County, click here.
The Source: Information in this report comes from the Travis County Clerk's Office and other county elections offices.