SAN ANTONIO – More people have voted in three days of early voting for the November General Election than the entire voter turnout for some previous city, school or amendment elections, Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen said.
During a news conference Thursday, Callanen said there has been a 14.3% early voter turnout from Monday through Wednesday.
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Compare that to a 7% voter turnout in the May 2022 election that featured some controversial amendments to the San Antonio City Charter and some local municipal and school district elections.
Voter turnout for the November 2023 constitutional amendment election featured 14 Texas propositions and some local municipal and school district elections was slightly better at 11%.
While the May 2023 San Antonio City Council election resulted in a 15% total voter turnout, the early voting for the upcoming Nov. 5 election continues to shatter records, Callanen said.
“It is spectacular! That’s amazing!” she said.
Callanen said as of 1 p.m. Thursday, 168,606 voters have cast an early ballot, with 25,482 of those ballots cast Thursday.
She once again asked voters to pack patience and be prepared to vote when they arrive at their voting site.
“Some people are really shocked at the lines. People are shocked when they drive up, and there’s not their normal parking that they’ve been used to for their normal sites,” Callanen said. “We want them to be patient and to be courteous to the other voters, and we want them to be pleasant with our election officials.”
Callanen also wanted to remind voters that they cannot wear campaign paraphernalia to the voting booth, such as a shirt, hat, button, or swag.
She said some of the election judges will take jackets to polling sites for voters to wear in case people are wearing a shirt that features a particular candidate. Callanen said that some voters will be asked to go to the bathroom and turn the shirt inside out or even tape a sample ballot to the front of their shirt.
“You may see some voters that aren’t happy ... but we need to remain within the law so that no one is intimidated and everyone can come and vote freely,” Callanen said.
She also said that voters cannot discuss political preferences while waiting in line to vote.
>> Here’s how, where to vote early in Bexar County for the Nov. 5 election
Registered voters in Bexar County can vote at any polling site during the early voting period and Election Day. Early voting runs from Oct. 21-Nov. 1, and Election Day is Nov. 5.
If you’re not sure if you’re registered, you can click here to check.
>> Busiest, slowest polling locations in Bexar County during early voting in the 2024 general election
The last day to submit an application for a mail ballot is Oct. 25 (received, not postmarked).
To request a mail ballot, contact the Bexar County Elections Department at 210-335-8683 or click here. You can fill out an application online but cannot submit it online.
Click here for more information on how to vote by mail.
Get more election coverage on KSAT’s Vote 2024 page.