Outside of 2020, the turnout rate was higher than any election year dating back to 1988, according to data from the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.
By the numbers
Official election results from Nov. 14 for the November election showed about 160,100 ballots were counted in Galveston County out of around 249,000 registered voters, according to the county's reconciliation documents. This brought the turnout rate to around 64%.
In 2020, just under 154,000 people voted, with a voter turnout rate of 67.33%, according to state data. The difference was roughly 20,000 additional voters being added to the voter rolls between 2020 and 2024, making the 2024 turnout lower despite a higher overall vote total.
Another caveat is the 2020 election taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic, which, among other changes, included extending the early voting window, according to county documents.
Historically, 2020 and 2024 are the only times the county saw a voter turnout north of 60% since 1992, which had a 73.6% voter turnout rate, state data shows. Of the presidential elections since 1988, the lowest voter turnout rate was 1996, which had a turnout rate of 52.12%.
Also of note
Early vote totals have increased over time both in terms of total votes cast as well as the overall percentage of votes cast, according to data.
Whereas in 1988 early votes made up around 22% of the vote total, it made up nearly 91% of the vote total in 2020, state data shows.
While 2024 didn’t reach 2020 levels in either category, the vast majority of votes cast—almost 81%—came early. That settled total was nearly 130,000, which compares to 2020’s totals of nearly 140,000, according to state data. That 130,000 didn't count mail-in votes, of which nearly 5,800 were counted in the final total, county data shows.
The rate was roughly the same in 2016 when 80% of votes cast came during early voting as well, state data shows. That number has gotten progressively higher in each presidential election.
