First day early voting Republican totals increase from 2020 in Hidalgo County

The first day of early voting is complete for the March 2022 primary election. Early voting opened on Monday with voters all across Texas casting votes to decide who will take the Democratic and Republican nominations for various positions. Hidalgo County saw 3,867 people head to the polls on Monday, a 49 percent decrease from first-day totals in 2020 and a 34 percent decrease from 2018 first-day totals. A decrease from 2020 is expected since a Presidential election took place that year. Despite the overall decrease, voting totals for Republican candidates surpassed 2018 and 2020 first-day totals. 811 people voted in the Republican primary in Hidalgo County on Monday, surpassing the 741 votes and 544 votes cast on the first day of early voting in 2020 and 2018, respectively.

Votes in the Democratic primary still outnumbered the Republican total almost four to one, but it’s a steady climb for the GOP in Hidalgo County. Republicans are hoping to win spots in the Rio Grande Valley, an area historically seen as an easy win for Democrats. The first day of early voting traditionally features the second-highest vote total of any early voting date, only being outdone by the final day of early voting, which falls on Feb. 25 this year. Some of the biggest races on the Republican ballot in Hidalgo County include races for governor, Texas’s 15th and 34th district for the U.S. House of Representatives, and Texas Senate District 20 and 27. Democrats are also focusing on these elections as well as several local elections.