Harris County shatters record for turnout on Day 1 of early voting
HOUSTON — Harris County has shattered its opening day record for early voting turnout.
They broke it just before 2 p.m. Tuesday with several hours left to go before polls close for the day.
The old Day 1 early voting record was around 68,000 which was set on the first day of the 2016 presidential election.
Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins has been expecting a record turnout in this election.
He’s also added a record number of early voting locations with a 122 in total. That’s nearly triple the old record from 2016.
Ten drive-thru voting sites like the one outside NRG Arena are new to Texas, too.
These old rodeo stomping grounds are also one of the mega-sites the county’s using to better handle social distancing with larger crowds.
Voters will also find PPE, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, Plexiglass dividers, and socially distanced lines and machines.
Some voters at Lone Star College Cypress Center out in northwest Harris County told they waited between two to three hours.
“We’re doing it in shifts. I drop my wife off just now. She’ll text me when she’s done, I’ll bring the truck up, she’ll take the truck and leave me, and then uh, we’ll take turns that way,” Joe Lanciaux, a voter, said.
Voters can see locations and check estimated wait times for all of Harris County’s early voting locations.