2020 Summary:

With early voting, we can mitigate risk and more safely and securely participate in our democracy. More and more Texans are exploring their early voting options. For the 2020 presidential primary election, more people voted early (2,071,745) than voted on Election Day (2,012,686).

During the July primary runoff election, before the cut backs to the United States Postal Service, some Texans who sought to vote by mail — and submitted their applications on time — indicated they never received their ballots. Some opted instead to vote in person. Others went uncounted. It is unknown how many were affected.

Other voters sent in their mail-in ballots only to have them returned unopened. Some of those reached county elections offices after a second attempt, while others still appeared lost on election night. It is also unknown how many were affected.

Counties reported a shortage of poll workers ahead of the runoffs, leading them to shutter planned polling places at the last minute. Plus, a new state law bans the use of mobile or temporary voting sites, meaning all early voting sites must remain open for the full early voting period.

The Lone Star State ranked 41^st in the country in voter turnout in 2018. Texas LGBTQ Chambers of Commerce believes it should be easier to vote, and every Texan should be confident their vote is counted.