HOUSTON (AP) — Texas has set a new voter registration record of 15.6 million people ahead of the highly anticipated Senate race between Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke.
Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos tells the Houston Chronicle that the state’s voter rolls have grown by 1.6 million since the last midterm election in 2014.
Election records show that Texas has seen a 400,000-voter increase since March. The state on average added just over 100,000 voters a year between 2002 and 2014.
Pablos says county election officials reported witnessing voter registration rates and voter enthusiasm in a midterm year that’s usually only seen before presidential elections. He says Texas residents are becoming more engaged in politics.
There’s still time for voters to join the rolls before Oct. 9, the registration deadline to vote in the midterms.