Polls opened across Travis County at 7 a.m. Tuesday for the 2026 general election, capping an early voting period that already broke records before a single Election Day ballot was cast. Voters can cast their ballot at any polling location in the county through 7 p.m., and anyone still in line when polls close will be allowed to vote.
That flexibility, along with 201 Election Day voting sites, comes after a surge of early turnout that county officials and outlets tracked closely in the weeks before the election. According to KUT, Travis County residents can vote at any polling location within the county, and as long as they are in line by closing time, they can cast their ballot. Early voting ran from Oct. 19 through Oct. 30, giving residents a 12-day window before Tuesday's deadline.
The numbers from that window were striking. Nearly 41,000 people cast ballots on the very first day of early voting, a first-day midterm turnout record for this century in Travis County, per the same KUT report. About 4.3% of the county's 952,713 registered voters showed up that Monday alone — compared with just 2.8% on the first day of the 2022 midterm and 4.14% in 2018.
Early Voting Blew Past 2022 Numbers
By the time early voting closed, the pace had only intensified. More than 426,000 ballots were cast in Travis County during the early voting period, according to CBS Austin, more than 100,000 ballots above the nearly 311,000 cast during the entire 2022 midterm early voting period. Statewide, more than 6.8 million ballots were cast during early voting, the station reported.
Friday, Oct. 30 — the final day to vote early — turned out to be the busiest single day of the stretch, with some voters waiting in line to cast ballots, per the CBS Austin report. Political scientist Mark Jones predicted that roughly 25% of total votes would be cast on Election Day itself, meaning the bulk of this election's turnout was already locked in before Tuesday's polls even opened, the station noted.
The jump in early voting locations may have helped fuel the surge. Travis County offered 45 early voting sites this cycle, up from 38 during the last midterm, KUT reported.
What's on the Ballot in Austin
The ballot itself stretches well beyond the marquee statewide races. Several key federal and statewide positions are being decided this election, including U.S. senator, governor and lieutenant governor, according to KUT's voting guide. Depending on where they live, Travis County voters may also be deciding one of five Austin City Council seats this cycle.
Austin voters are additionally weighing two multimillion-dollar city bond propositions covering libraries and parks, along with several proposed amendments to the city charter, KUT reported. Those measures sit alongside county and school district contests that will appear further down the same ballot.
The Austin American-Statesman is tracking live results and updates throughout election night as returns come in from across the region. Travis County's Election Day flyer, posted by votetravis.gov, confirms polling sites are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, matching the hours outlined in the county's voting guide.
