BROWNSVILLE — Cameron County’s tradition of low voter turnout has been turned on its ear this election season, at least when it comes to early voting.
County residents voted in record numbers the first four days of early voting, Oct. 24-27, compared to previous general elections.
By the fourth day of early voting in the 2012 general election, 16,226 ballots had been cast countywide. This year, the number was 25,750 ballots.
Remi Garza, county elections administrator, said the surge in voting so far has made the past 18 grueling months worthwhile.
“It is very heartening to see this level of participation,” he said. “I’m hopeful that it is the new normal and not just a flash.”
Garza said it became apparent voter turnout might be quite a bit higher than usual based on the number of new voter registrations before early voting began.
“We did see a significant increase in activity at our front desk and people submitting voter registrations,” he said. “We knew that, on an individual basis, our numbers were going to be significantly higher than in the past. We’re still thinking that this is actually going to be an increase in our turnout percentage as well, well above our historical averages.”
Garza said his office has received a number of calls from residents exercising their right to vote for the first time and wondering where and how to go about it. Ideally, these new voters — many of them younger voters — will develop the habit and keep voting in future elections, he said.
“Hopefully, if they see that their votes are having an impact, they’ll continue to participate in the system,” Garza said.
Voter apathy long has been a problem, fueled by the faulty notion that an individual’s vote doesn’t matter, he said.
“It definitely matters and definitely counts regardless of the type of election,” Garza said.
Secretary of State Carlos Cascos said all the state’s major counties, including Hidalgo, Bexar, Travis and Harris, were seeing record turnouts. While reserving judgment until the final tally is in, he said he suspects this election will end up being a record breaker in terms of voter turnout.
“It’s encouraging that we’ve got well over 15 million registered voters,” Cascos said. “That is a Texas record. The number I’m getting is 78 percent of all eligible voters are registered to vote.”
He said he’s been visiting college campuses across the state to encourage students to vote, and Friday spoke to about 200 students at Texas State Technical College in Harlingen. He thinks the effort to reach out to millennials, who often assume their votes don’t matter, has been successful to some degree.
“Really at the end of the day that’s what our office has been pushing and advocating: registration and ultimately voting,” Cascos said.
He said he’s talked to many people around the state who aren’t happy with the choice of presidential candidates this election season, but he tells them to vote anyway.
“There are a lot of down-ballot races important to our communities: school boards, municipal bond elections, referendums and a lot of other things out there this Election Day than simply the presidential race,” Cascos said.
As for what’s driving the bigger turnout, he pointed to contested races, several of which are taking place in Cameron County, as a factor. School board elections drive turnout as well, Cascos said.
“I think it’s a combination of things,” he said. “Obviously leading the way in all likelihood is the top of the ticket.”
Cascos said he thinks the election could result in a long-term increase in the number of Texans who exercise their right to vote — at least he’s keeping his fingers crossed.
“I hope this is not a one-shot wonder, that everything will die down,” he said. “Of course, in off-presidential elections those numbers dip, but I’m hoping that … with this new and invigorated voting bloc that’s out there, I hope that they continue to go and vote.”
