More Lubbock County voters have cast early ballots than at this point in 2018 or 2022. But those bigger numbers don't tell the whole story. The county has also gained registered voters, which changes the comparison.
As of Monday night, 52,610 people had voted early in Lubbock County. That's about 25.7% of its 204,576 registered voters, according to the Elections Office.
A look back at 2018 and 2022
After eight days of early voting, Lubbock County had 50,562 votes in 2018 and 37,651 in 2022. The comparable number this year is 52,610.
That's a sizable gain over 2022. Against 2018, however, the county has just 2,048 more ballots even though the registration rolls have grown by more than 28,000.
Measured against each year's registered voter total, the eight-day participation rates are approximately 28.7% in 2018, 20.1% in 2022 and 25.7% this year. So the county has more early votes than in 2018, but a smaller percentage of registered voters has participated.
How Lubbock stacks up statewide
Derek Ryan of Ryan Data & Research estimates approximately 4.5 million Texans had voted through Sunday, October 25, about 24% of registered voters. At that same point, Lubbock County had counted 47,019 early votes, roughly 23.0% of its registration total. These are approximate comparisons from separate sources, not a combined official tally.
Ryan reports that the state's five biggest counties were at about 24% turnout, the next 20 largest counties were at about 25%, and the remaining counties collectively were at about 21%. His latest statewide report also observed a modest increase over the weekend in voters classified by past Democratic primary participation.
What comes next
Four days of early voting remained after Monday's report. Those totals will tell us more about turnout, but they won't reveal how people voted. Texas election ballots are secret. A voter's primary history is not proof of a general-election choice.
About this analysis: This is only analysis and is subject to error and should only be used for informational purposes. Your exact votes are private and cannot be determined from any government-provided information to the Lubbock Chronicle or any others.
Sources: Lubbock County Elections Office, October 26 turnout report; Derek Ryan, Ryan Data & Research, Early Voting Report, Day 7 (statewide through October 25).
