135K Montgomery County residents cast their ballots in the first week of early voting

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Montgomery County residents are on their way to smash early voting records for this election cycle. In the first full week of early voting – from October 21 through 27, 135,565 early ballots have been cast, including nearly 8,000 mail-in ballots. With another four-and-a-half days left in the early voting period, this number is nearly five times who voted early at this time last year, just a few thousand short of who early voted in 2022, and more than double the number of total early voters a decade ago in 2014.

The stakes are high both locally and nationally in this election cycle, from local school board trustees and MUD propositions to Congressmen and Senators all the way to the US President in a particularly fractious time. Long lines are the standard at each of the polling locations, with the Mitchell Library location being particularly hard hit. The turnout has been so extensive that Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack ordered the local libraries shut down during early voting to accommodate voter parking, sparking some community outrage.

For the last presidential election four years ago in 2020, approximately 236,500 people in the county voted early, only 100,000 less than what has been cast this time so far. The last time the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump ran (and won) in 2016, 154,646 people early voted. This time around looks to break these numbers handily.

All this week through Friday, all early voting locations are open from 7 a.m. through 7 p.m., and voters may cast their ballots as long as they are in line before 7 p.m. Lines have stretched for more than two hours’ worth in some cases. Because of the heavy turnout, people are encouraged to still vote early, as Election Day Tuesday, November 5, is expected to shatter attendance records at the polls.

Stay tuned to Woodlands Online for ongoing coverage of this election season.