In a county of 1.28 million registered voters, 4.95%, or about 63,000 people, have voted early, either in person or by mail, ahead of the May 3 election.
The ballot includes several local offices, including City Council races, school board seats, Tarrant Regional Water District and Tarrant County College board positions.
The Tarrant County Elections Office reports that 61,641 voters cast their ballots in-person, and 1,585 voters cast ballots by mail, according to early voting reports. The in-person early voting period was April 22-29, and absentee voters can mail in their ballots at any date leading up to the election.
In the May 2023 election, 69,211 people voted early and in person — about 7,500 more than the turnout this year. The early-voting period in 2023 was one day longer than this year’s eight-day period.
Local elections historically garner lower voter turnout than state and national elections. About 61.43% of Tarrant County voters participated in the November 2024 election, which featured the race for president and a U.S. Senate seat.
Tarrant typically sees the most early voters on the last day of the early voting period, while Election Day usually generates the highest single-day voter turnout, according to data from the county elections office.
Tarrant County offered 45 early voting locations this April. Like 98 other counties across Texas, Tarrant allows residents to vote at any polling location in the county.
The Tarrant County Subcourthouse in Mansfield saw the most traffic of any early polling place, with 5,017 ballots cast, according to county elections data. Mansfield mayor and the Place 2 City Council seat are on the ballot, and incumbent Mayor Michael Evans is facing off against sitting council member Julie Short in a hotly contested race.
The Colleyville Recreation Center and Keller Town Hall, in northeast Tarrant County, had the next-highest turnouts as early voting locations, with 4,432 and 4,191 ballots cast, respectively.
Colleyville mayor and two City Council seats were on the ballot, with three incumbents running unopposed. Council voted to declare the incumbent members “elected to office” and struck the positions from the ballot in early March. The city’s bond program, which includes one $20 million proposition for park and recreation facilities improvements, is still on the ballot.
Two Keller City Council positions are on the ballot, with one incumbent running unopposed. Three seats are open and contested on the Keller ISD board, which has been at the center of controversy over a now-revoked proposal to split the district in two. Ten candidates are on the ballot, with incumbents Joni Shaw Smith and Chelsea Kelly – who opposed the split plan – seeking reelection.
The county’s least-used polling location was the Azle ISD Police Department, with 148 ballots cast during the eight-day period. Four Azle City Council positions, including mayor, were on the ballot, but all four incumbent members are running unopposed. Council members approved an ordinance canceling the May 3 election and declaring the unopposed candidates “elected to office” in early March, according to the city’s website.
Worth Heights Community Center in south Fort Worth and the Haltom City Public Library reported the next-lowest turnouts during the early voting period, with 181 and 192 ballots cast, respectively.
Election Day is May 3, and polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Fort Worth Report’s Tarrant County Voter Guide, featuring surveys from candidates for City Councils, school boards and other races, is available here.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
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