The Primary Elections are in sight and Texans have already turned out for early voting in high numbers, especially among Democrats.

According to the Texas secretary of state’s website, 205,583 people voted early in the 2014 Democratic primary. This year, 406,302 Democratics voted early. That's a 98% increase.

On the GOP side, 352,963 people voted early in the Republican primary. In 2014 the number was 303,858, showing a 16% increase this year.



Could this signal the beginning of a ‘blue wave’ hitting the Lone Star State?

It could happen, said UT-Arlington Associate Professor of Political Science Allan Saxe.

When comparing early voting numbers in the 2014 Midterm elections and 2018, some 238,000 more people early voted this year than in 2014, according to Texas Secretary of State figures.

In North Texas, Collin and Denton County each experiences more than a 250% increase in early voting from 2014.

Saxe says that traditionally, the political party that does not control the White House does better in primaries.

That appears to be true when analyzing early voting numbers across Texas.

Democrats are no-doubt energized and they’re showing up, said Saxe.

“The Republicans are behind the traditional 8-ball, the historical 8-ball in primaries,” he said. “But a lot of stuff could happen between now and the fall that could turn things around. It may not be because of Donald Trump.”

It could instead be, Saxe says, because of changes to the demographics in Texas, immigration patterns including New Yorkers and Californians moving to Texas and an ongoing effort to energize minority groups to vote.

Primary Tuesday polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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