Dallas County early voters have set a new record for a primary election.
And nearly triple the number of Democrats have shown up to the polls compared to Republicans.
Daily turnout usually is in the very low thousands.
Typically, 1,000 to 3,000 Republicans and Democrats combined voters show up each day during primary and mid-term early voting, according to Dallas County Elections Department data.
But this time, the daily average is about 17,000 Democrats and just under 6,000 Republicans.
Nearly 188,000 Democrats and 64,000 Republicans have cast ballots during early voting.
That's about 17 percent of Dallas County's more than 1.4 million registered voters who have cast ballots ahead of primary Election Day.
That surpasses 2018's total early voting and primary Election Day turnout of 16 percent.
Election officials suspect the higher-than-normal turnout during a non-presidential year could be because voters were encouraged to vote early to avoid confusion about precinct-based voting separated by party.
Final election day numbers will tell whether this year beats the top two highest voter turnout totals, both of which were presidential election years, unlike the current mid-term elections.
Dallas County's all-time high voter turnout is 35 percent when Barack Obama first ran of 2008.
The second highest voter turnout for a primary election was 27 percent in 2016 — when Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton ran for president.
During that election, 1.2 million Dallas County residents were registered to vote. Adjusted for the current 1.4 million, the current turnout would 21 percent.
Anyone planning to vote on Election Day, March 3, should confirm their designated polling place before heading to the polls.
Voters can only vote at their designated location and will not be able to cast a ballot at any polling place across the county, unlike during early voting.
Dallas County's elections department promoted its “Know Before You Go” campaign for Election Day to make sure voters go to the correct polling place specific to their precinct.
“We’re encouraging voters to utilize our website or call the elections department to find your designated voting location before heading to the polls,” Elections Administrator Paul Adams said.
Designated polling place, sample ballots and ID requirements are available at DallasCountyVotes.org or by calling 469-627-8683.
Polls open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday and close at 7 p.m.
Voters must select either a Republican or Democratic primary ballot and follow the corresponding signs and instructions at the precinct voting locations.
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