Record rush to vote shifts eyes to Texas

Democrats hope GOP dominance may soon be history

It’s hard to say, ‘ Yes, if we reach 12 million then Democrats win,’ because you never know. But on balance, yes, if we reach 12 million voters we’ll win this election.”

Abhi Rahman | Democratic Party official

Texas has already cast nearly seven million votes, more than anywhere in America, and Glen Murdoch couldn’t get his ballot in fast enough after becoming a US citizen this summer.

“I was champing at the bit,” said Murdoch, who moved to Austin from Australia shortly after President Donald Trump took office, and cast a ballot last week to vote him out.

It’s a rush to the polls in Texas like seldom seen before.

Nine days before Election Day, Texans had already cast as many early votes as they did in 2016 and were nearly 80 per cent of theway toward hitting the total — both early and on Election Day— counted four years ago.

The voting bonanza has some Democrats optimistic that decades of low turnout and undisputed Republican dominance may soon be a thing of the past. But what that it all means for Texas is far from clear. Voters don’t register by party in the state.

Roughly 50 per cent of voters currently registered to vote in Texas have never voted or vote infrequently, according to the voter information firm L2.

Derek Ryan, a GOP data analyst, predicted this week that Texas turnout would likely surpass 12 million, or roughly 3 millionmore voters than 2016.

“It’s hard to say, ‘ Yes, if we reach 12 million then Democrats win,’ because you never know,” said Abhi Rahman, a spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party. “But on balance, yes, if we reach 12 million voters we’ll win this election.”