Travis Voters Smashing Record

A car parked outside Democratic headquarters offers a last-minute reminder that early voting ends Friday. (Photo by Sandy Carson)

Early voting is on a record pace in Travis County. As of Tuesday, 203,173 residents had either voted early in person or by mail, accounting for more than 33% of Travis' 609,224 voters. By the time you read this, it is likely that we will have surpassed the record of 222,085 from the 2004 general election, which at that time was 40% of registereds. County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir is pleading with would-be voters to get to the polls early – if too many people wait until Election Day (Nov. 4), she worries, voting facilities will be overwhelmed, and voters will be faced with long, discouraging lines. Travis County residents may vote at any of the county's 26 early-voting locations (see p.8), but on Nov. 4, you must vote at your neighborhood precinct. The busiest early-voting location thus far has been the Randalls at Research and Braker (16,764 voters), followed by the county's "mega site" at its offices at 5501 Airport (14,623). The slowest location: the Carver Complex at 1161 Angelina (1,635).