Early voters in Collin County broke records ahead of today’s primary. Here’s what you need to know.
Ahead of today’s primary, voters in Collin County broke early voting records. According to the Dallas Morning News, around 63,000 Democrats and 68,000 Republicans voted between February 17 and February 27. That’s the highest recorded turnout for the county in any primary over the last two decades. A political scientist at the University of Houston, Brandon Rottinghaus, said, “Collin County turnout is bigger and more robust than other suburban counties in Texas.” To put that into further perspective, about 132,310 people cast their ballots within that 10-11 day early voting stretch. That’s close to the overall turnout from both early and in-person voting two years ago, which clocked in at 137,685.
Kaleb Breaux, who works as the elections administrator for Collin County, said, “Amongst the voters there’s definitely a buzz as well” when it comes to their civic engagement. Given that the primary elections are still underway, it’s safe to assume the total turnout for the county will break even more records by the day’s end. Typically, 70% of voters in Collin County cast their ballots early, with 30% showing up to the polls on Election Day itself. That means 60,000 more people could add to the overall numbers this year.
In addition to breaking records, Collin County is using a brand new ballot for this primary that is hand-marked. The change is part of an effort to increase transparency at the polls and bolster election security.
Democratic turnout has grown since the 2024 primary
With the increased number of early voting in 2026 comes a new trend for Collin County: A roughly 200% growth in Democratic turnout since the primary held in 2024. It has traditionally been a Republican-led area, but the Dallas Morning News notes that over a quarter of the Collin County primary voters who are registered as Democrats are voting for the first time today. Roughly 13% of those registered as Republicans were also voting in their first primary. One of the Collin County Republican Party’s precinct chairs, Lee Breckenridge-Moore, said the change is likely because there are more options this year than on previous Election Days. “A lot of the time they don’t have choices, so Democrats in Collin County stay home,” she said. Though she doesn’t think the Republicans have any major cause for concern, others think the uptick in Democratic voters could lead to the county taking political strides. “It will no longer be a conservative hub if this trend continues in November,” Brandon Rottinghaus said.
If you live in Collin County and have yet to cast your ballot, there’s still time. Polls are open until 7 p.m. tonight. Please click here for more information, and follow this link if you want to follow the election’s livestreams for the remainder of the day.
