Large early voter turnout in Burnet, Llano counties
Early voters are turning out in staggering numbers in Burnet and Llano counties leading up to the Nov. 5 general election. Llano County has consistently held the highest percentage turnout in the state since Oct. 28, and Burnet County isn’t too far behind.
Early voting began Oct. 21 and continues until Friday, Nov. 1. The polls will reopen at 7 a.m. Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, and close at 7 p.m. when the counting begins.
“Seriously, in all my years, this has been insane; this is the biggest turnout I’ve seen,” Burnet County Elections Administrator Doug Ferguson told DailyTrib.com on Tuesday, Oct. 29. “I mean, it’s really strong.”
As of Monday, Oct. 28, Burnet County reported that 45.13 percent of registered voters had already cast their ballots. If current trends continue, Ferguson estimates the county could have 80 percent or higher turnout by the end of the election.
“That’s just a wild guess, but we’ve voted some pretty high percentages in the last few years,” he said.
Voter turnout in Burnet County for the 2020 election was 76.13 percent, but the voting population of the county was also significantly smaller.
The county has 39,186 registered voters for 2024, 19 percent higher than 2020’s total of 32,741.
According to Ferguson, the previous record for voter turnout was the second day of early voting in the 2020 election, which was 1,876. That record was topped every day of the first week of early voting for 2024, with 3,231 Burnet County voters turning out on the first day the polls opened.
Ferguson admitted it is difficult to estimate what Election Day will be like, but voters should not let long lines deter them.
“We are able to process voters very quickly with the new poll booth system,” he said. “Don’t be scared off by lines.”
Llano County has also seen incredible turnout, holding the highest percentage of ballots cast in the state every day of early voting as of Monday.
“I’m thrilled with this turnout,” Llano County Elections Administrator Andrea Wilson said.
Llano County had 50.46 percent voter turnout as of Monday, which by percentage makes it the highest in the state by county level.
Llano County has 18,455 registered voters; 9,312 have already cast their ballots.
Wilson predicts voter turnout will be 80-85 percent by the end of the election. The county had a 76.26 percent turnout in 2020, when the number of registered voters was about 16,705, or 10 percent less than in 2024.
While there have been record turnouts, Wilson predicts short lines on Election Day.
“If we keep going the way we’re going, I think we’re going to have a calm and peaceful Election Day,” she said.
If the lines are long, the wait in them shouldn’t be, she continued. Poll workers have been processing voters at a rate of 33 seconds per voter.
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Good on everyone who takes the time to vote!