On Nov. 4 — just three months after county commissioners cut over 100 polling sites — Tarrant County saw one of its largest recorded voter turnouts for an odd-year election.
An unusually high number of the county’s 1.28 million registered voters showed up, and all 12 early voting days saw a turnout increase from recent odd-year elections, according to county data. The last day of early voting saw the sharpest growth, with an approximate 83% uptick from 2023 and even larger increases from previous years. Election Day numbers were similarly high across the board.
The record turnout comes amid growing political tensions on every level of government.
“More people are hearing that things are going on,” said Janet Mattern, president of the League of Women Voters of Tarrant County. “They’re paying attention.”
Odd-year elections typically have lower voter turnout compared to widely publicized ones, such as presidential elections or midterms. For Texans, this year’s ballot was composed of 17 state constitutional amendments, all of which passed, seeking a variety of tax reductions, program funding and revamps to the judicial system.
Some Tarrant County voters also had the Texas Senate District 9 race on their ballot, which will head into a runoff between Democrat Taylor Rehmet and Republican Leigh Wambsganss.
Compared to other odd-year elections, on Nov. 4, Tarrant County saw its largest turnout in more than a decade with just over 223,000 total ballots cast — 17% of registered voters. On the state level, nearly 3 million Texans — roughly 16% of registered voters — cast ballots, according to unofficial statewide returns.
Mattern said that despite what some people think, residents want to participate in odd-year elections, and when voter turnout is low, it’s primarily an awareness issue. Between the Tarrant County Commissioners Court cutting voting sites and the county redistricting, there was more noise before this year’s election, Mattern said. The turnout reflected that.
“They [voters] want to make sure that their voice continues to be heard in our democracy,” she said.
Some commissioners didn’t expect a high turnout. In August, the court voted along party lines to drop to 214 Election Day voting sites, down from last year’s 350. Early voting sites decreased to 33, down from the 51 during the 2024 presidential election.
County officials argued the cuts were cost-saving measures prompted by low voter turnout.
“There was waste in some of these locations where people [polling site workers] were sitting around not doing much,” Republican Commissioner Manny Ramirez said in the meeting where they passed the cuts. “Perhaps their efforts could be used to funnel people to other locations as opposed to sitting in vacant areas.”
Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare said in the meeting that November’s ballot, primarily a constitutional amendment election, does not typically carry the same publicity as other elections.
“I would venture to guess that 99% of the public cannot name a single thing on there,” O’Hare said.
O’Hare did not respond to The Shorthorn’s request for an interview.
Allison Campolo, Tarrant County Democratic Party chair, said the frustrations some voters have with O’Hare, Gov. Greg Abbott and President Donald Trump drove people to the polls. Throughout the year, movements like the “No Kings” protests have drawn millions amid steep criticisms of the Trump administration.
“This is one of those special moments where we’re seeing these kinds of protests and engagement and activation are really directly leading to higher turnout at the polls,” Campolo said.
While Texas Republicans fulfilled their goal of passing all 17 constitutional amendments, Democrats have an opportunity to take a key win in Texas Senate District 9. Democratic candidate Rehmet was ahead of his Republican opponent in votes heading into the runoff in what Campolo called a “very red district.”
Both parties have their eyes set on 2026 as the midterm elections draw near. The election will solidify who controls the House of Representatives and several key positions will be up for reelection, including the seat of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.
Mattern said it’s difficult to predict whether the momentum from this month’s election will carry into the midterms.
“When people feel like things are going well, they don’t feel like they have to be participating as much, but when they see that there’s problems, they’re more wanting to participate, more wanting to have some sort of change take place to make sure that our country is run correctly,” she said.
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