Early voting on track to beat records

Early voting totals for the first two days of 2020 are on track to beat records for Hopkins County if trends continue, according to the Texas secretary of state website. 

On the first day of early voting, Oct. 13, 1,020 Hopkins County citizens voted. On the second day of voting, Oct. 14, 1,028 citizens voted, and on Oct. 15, 1,026 citizens voted. The combined total over the first two days of voting reached 3,074, according to county clerk Tracy Smith. 

Given that there are 16 days of early voting in the 2020 election cycle, if trends continue, Hopkins County voters will easily outpace all other years of early voting totals for the county.

In 2016, 8,696 voters or 38.66% of those registered to vote in Hopkins County cast their vote early. In 2012, that number came close, with 7,378 voters or 34.75% of those registered to vote in Hopkins County cast their vote early. 

However, if voters in 2020 flock to the polls at the rate of approximately 1,000 per day as they are now, half or more of those registered to vote in the county may cast their vote before election day. 

The secretary of state does not have any larger registered early voting totals earlier than 1996.