More than half the registered voters in Hopkins County took advantage of the extended early voting period to cast ballots either in person or by mail in the November 3rd, 2020 elections.
The first 4 days of early voting were the heaviest with a total 4,208 residents voting at the early voting center and 677 mail ballots. Another 75 mail ballots were recorded Saturday, Oct. 17, increasing the cumulative total from 20.39 to 20.72 percent for the first week of early voting. The most votes cast during a single day was 1,134 in person votes on Friday, Oct. 16.
While more than 1,000 Hopkins County residents cast ballots daily during the first week of early voting, the pace slowed the second week. In fact, the fewest number of personal appearance votes cast in a day was 238 on Oct. 25, which is still a good turnout for a Sunday. Another 262 mail ballots were counted as well, according to the information submitted by election officials to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.
The weekend totals and mail ballots combined with the in-person totals for Oct. 19-25 generated another 4,594 votes by Hopkins County residents and increased the overall total 8,543 in-person votes (35.66 percent) and a cumulative total of 9,558 votes which amounts to 39.9 percent of overall registered voters casting ballots during the first two weeks of early voting.
That’s the most early ballots cast in at least 32 years, according to the county voter registration figures on the Secretary of State’s website dating back until 1988. The previous record for number of voters was 8,696, which represented 38.66 percent of the 22,495 registered voters in Hopkins Hopkins County in 2016. That, however, was not the largest early voting percentage in previous years. That was set at 42.07 percent or 5,074 of the 20,024 registered voters casting early ballots in the 2004 General Election.
Voting was slowest during the extra week of early voting this year, Oct. 26-30, when another 3,212 residents voted, including 126 mail votes. That’s 12,770 early ballots cast overall for the 3-week early voting period, which accounts for 53.31 percent of the 23,954 registered voters in Hopkins County: 48.55 percent in-person and 4.76 percent (1,141) by mail. That’s just under the state totals of 57.32 percent (9,719,100) of the 16,955,519 registered voters in Texas casting ballots, with 51.58 percent in-person voting and the remaining 5.74 percent by mail, from October 13 – October 30 in the November 3rd General Election.
More early votes were cast from Oct. 13-30 than during the early voting and Election Day voting in 2012, when 12,749 or 60.04 percent of overall voters cast ballots. Traditionally, voter turn out is higher in years in which presidential elections are held.
The Hopkins County voting record since 1988, counting Election Day and early voting, for number of voters casting ballots was 13,533 of the 22,495 registered voters (60.16 percent) set in 2016. To exceed that this year, another 764 voters will need to cast ballots tomorrow on Election Day.
While 2016 had the most voters at the polls, the record for highest percent of registered voters casting ballots was set at 77.37 percent or 10,649 of the 13,763 registered voters casting ballots on Election Day and during early voting in 1992, and before that was 72.72 percent (10,142) of the 13,947 registered voters cast ballots in 1988. Another 5,763 voters would have to cast ballots on Nov. 3 to match the 1988 voting percentage.
Election Day voting in the Nov. 3 General Election will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the 12 county voting locations:
- Precinct 1 — Front foyer of Our Savior Lutheran Church, 1000 Texas St, Sulphur Springs
- Precinct 2A — Fellowship hall of Morning Chapel Missionary Baptist church, 208 Fuller Street, Sulphur Springs
- Precinct 3 — First floor courtroom, Hopkins County Courthouse, 118 Church St., Sulphur Springs
- Precinct 3A — Fellowship hall of Grace Family Church, 1901 Loop 301 East, Sulphur Springs
- Precinct 4 — West Hall at Hopkins County Civic Center, 1200 Houston St., Sulphur Springs
- Precinct 4A — Front foyer at League Street Church of Christ, 1100 South League St., Sulphur Springs
- Precinct 5 — Ag lab at Saltillo ISD, 150 County Road 3534, Saltillo
- Precinct 11 — city meeting room at Cumby Municipal Building, 100 East Main St., Cumby
- Precinct 12 — Foyer outside the gym at Sulphur Bluff ISD, 1027 County Road 3550, Sulphur Bluff
- Precinct 13 — Art room at Como-Pickton CISD, 13017 Texas Highway 11 East, Como
- Precinct 16 — Foyer outside the gym at Miller Grove ISD, 7819 FM 275 south, Cumby
- Precinct 17 — Administrative building at North Hopkins ISD, 1994 FM 71 West, Sulphur Springs
