All eyes are on South Texas as early voting for the 2022 General Election kicked off Monday, but voters were sluggish to the polls.
At the end of the first day of early voting, 13,750 ballots had been cast in Hidalgo County, including 10,948 in-person ballots and 2,802 mail-in ballots.
Those numbers failed to meet the numbers generated from the first day of early voting in the Nov. 2018 General Election. The first day of early voting four years ago saw a total of 19,650 ballots cast, including 14,703 in-person ballots and 4,947 mail-in ballots.
The 2018 election had four more polling sites available, including locations in La Joya and Peñitas, locations that have come under scrutiny recently.
A lawsuit was filed by the city of Peñitas against Hidalgo County, its Precinct 3 Commissioner Everardo Villarreal, the Hidalgo County Elections Department and its interim elections administrator Hilda A. Salinas after the Peñitas Public Library was not listed as a polling location for the 2022 election.
In 2018, 308 ballots were cast at the Peñitas Public Library and 169 ballots were cast at the La Joya Municipal Library on the first day of early voting. On Monday, a total of 283 ballots were cast at the La Joya Youth Center.
Candidates made their ways to the polls, cast their own ballots and encouraged local voters to do the same.
Democratic Congressional District 15 candidate Michelle Vallejo and Democratic General Land Commissioner candidate Jay Kleberg stopped by the Elections Annex Building, located at 317 North Closner Road in Edinburg, on Monday morning to engage with local voters.
Early voting will continue through Nov. 4 with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Polls will also be open Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Election Day is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 8 with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Polling locations can be found by visiting the Hidalgo County Elections Department website at www.hidalgocounty.us/Elections-Department.
To see more, view Monitor photojournalist Delcia Lopez’s full photo gallery here:
Photo Gallery: Rio Grande Valley voters head to the polls as early voting begins
