Texas is seeing a surge in the number of registered voters, something El Paso County officials say is partially driven by the Senate race between U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke.

In El Paso County, there's been about a 4 percent increase in the number of registered voters from November 2017 to now. The county had 452,742 registered voters as of last week, a number that changes every day, said Lisa Wise, elections administrator for El Paso County.

Wise said there's usually a peak in voter interest during every even-numbered year because those years include federal elections.

"Generally the midterms don't see as much of an increase," Wise said. "But I do believe that things like the Senate race are driving the interest here in Texas. There's definitely an increase in interest for a midterm year."

The contest between Cruz, an incumbent Republican, and O'Rourke, the Democrat challenger from El Paso, has received national attention.

More:Ted Cruz vs. Beto O'Rourke: A campaign diary for Texas' Senate race

People of all ages take selfies for El Paso mural that encourages voter registration

The deadline to register to vote in Texas for the upcoming election is Tuesday.

Election Day is Nov. 6. The first day of early voting is Oct. 22.

Wise said the county's elections department has been spending plenty of time out in the community getting the word out and offering resources to those who need to register.

El Paso County has partnered with groups like Young Voices of El Paso and the Leagure of Women Voters to help register voters.

In March 2018, there were 15,249,541 registered voters in Texas, according to data from the Texas Secretary of State office. That equals nearly half of the total population of the state. That number went up by 150,404 voters since November 2017.

Between January and March, 66,656 Texans registered to vote, according to the Secretary of State data.

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To register to vote, fill out a voter registration application and mail or fax it to the El Paso County Registrar of Voters, at 500 E. San Antonio Ave.. You can also fax your application but the documents must be received within four calendar days of the fax transmittal.

Registering voters cannot submit their applications via email or online. To pick up a voter registration application, stop by a post office, library, the Department of Public Safety, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission offices or any high school.

Sara Sanchez can be reached at 546-6147; ssanchez@elpasotimes.com; @siempresarita on Twitter.

Things to remember: Election Day

Deadline to register: Tuesday, Oct. 9

Election Day: Nov. 6

Mail your application: El Paso County Registrar of Voters, 500 E. San Antonio Ave. room 314, El Paso, TX 79901

Fax your application: 915-546-2220

More information: epcountyvotes.com