Thread by @TexasTribune

1/ Early voting is up in parts of Texas. That has some people excited.

But it’s far too early to tell whether that trend will continue through Election Day or what it means for Democrats’ hopes to flip the state. bit.ly/2SVMsYs

2/ Here’s what we know: In the state’s largest 10 counties, home to 57% of registered voters in Texas, we found that at least 425,028 ballots were cast in-person on Tuesday.
At least 224,122 were sent in by mail.

That’s 151k more votes cast than in 2016 in those same counties.

3/ From 2016 to 2020, there was a slight increase in first-day turnout in the 10 biggest counties — 5.82% to 6.71%. bit.ly/2SVMsYs

4/ But what all this means remains an open question.

Are more people voting? Or are the people who would normally be expected to vote simply showing up earlier?

Those questions are difficult to answer so early in the process. bit.ly/2SVMsYs

5/ The state’s voting numbers were incomplete Wednesday, meaning it is difficult to tell whether high first-day turnout is being replicated in smaller counties across Texas. bit.ly/2SVMsYs

6/ Still, the numbers have Democrats excited.

Some take it as a sign of what pundits have been suggesting for months: The state is in play. bit.ly/2SVMsYs

7/ But Republicans say it is par for the course in a competitive election year.

Read more here: bit.ly/2SVMsYs

And check out our early voting tracker here: bit.ly/33X03EY

#tx2020