Election officials in Travis County, Texas, are making final preparations for what could be a record turnout as early voting in the 2026 midterm elections begins on Monday, October 19.
County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado said about 940,000 people are registered to vote in the county, with roughly 27,000 applications for ballots by mail already received. Officials are preparing 201 polling places and more than 1,000 election workers. ([fox7austin.com](https://www.fox7austin.com/news/travis-county-early-voting-behind-the-scenes))
The operation includes shipping large containers to each polling station, packed with the equipment needed to run a polling place. Ballot scanners must also be delivered, while digital records from scanned ballots will be placed on USB drives and secured in smart-tagged green bags to preserve the chain of custody.
Mail-in ballots are already being processed, while a county call centre is handling election-worker confirmations and questions from voters. It will also be the point of contact for problems at polling stations or reports of voter intimidation.
“We plan for all different types of scenarios ahead of every election,” Ms Limon-Mercado said, as she stressed that election security remained a priority.
Travis County early voting preparations
She urged voters to check their sample ballot before arriving, saying the length of the ballot had caught some first-time primary voters off guard earlier this year.
The November 3 election includes contests ranging from the US Senate and governor to congressional, state and local offices. Voters in Travis County will be able to cast their ballot at any polling location within the county. ([kut.org](https://www.kut.org/austin/2026-10-14/travis-county-tx-election-early-voting-guide))
Polling stations will generally be open from 7am to 7pm during early voting and on Election Day. Seven locations will remain open until 10pm on Thursday, October 29, and Friday, October 30, the final two days of early voting. ([kut.org](https://www.kut.org/austin/2026-10-14/travis-county-tx-election-early-voting-guide))
Ms Limon-Mercado also said a backlog of voter-registration records sent through the Texas Department of Public Safety had been cleared in Travis County. More than 32,000 delayed records were processed after a state-level systems failure prevented applications from reaching county officials.
However, about 20,000 paper registration applications were still awaiting processing after the October 5 registration deadline. County officials said voter rolls would continue to be updated as applications were reviewed. ([kut.org](https://www.kut.org/politics/2026-10-09/austin-tx-travis-county-delayed-voter-registrations-dps))
The Travis County Clerk’s Office has advised voters to check their registration details and sample ballot before heading to the polls, particularly amid expectations of heavy participation in the midterm election.
