Updated Nov. 8, 2:00 p.m.

Early voting numbers have been tallied in both Brazoria and Galveston counties, as record numbers showed up to the polls prior to the Nov. 4 early voting deadline. In Brazoria County, more than 50 percent of registered voters cast their ballots before election day. A total of 101,295 ballots were submitted either by mail or at a polling place. There are 196,505 registered voters in the county. Similar numbers were tallied in Galveston County, where 101,488 of 208,228 registered voters cast a ballot by mail or in person. In Texas, 46 percent of registered voters or nearly 4.5 million voters casted their ballots in the 15 largest counties, which include Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris and Montgomery counties, according to the Texas Secretary of State.

Early voting takes off in Brazoria, Galveston counties Posted Oct. 25, 6:00 p.m.

More than 15 million Texas residents registered to vote this election, according to the Texas Secretary of State's office, which is a record for the state and a five percent increase over the May primary elections this year. Voters wasted no time casting ballots as they participated Monday in the first day of early voting, which runs through Nov. 4. Brazoria County received a whopping 11,072 in-person early votes on Oct. 24, which represents a five percent voter turnout. Comparatively, the county received 34,804 total early in-person ballots during the 2012 presidential election, according to Brazoria County Clerk records. Galveston County recorded 11,022 in-person early votes—not counting mail-in and limited ballots. Galveston County had the second highest percentage of voter turnout for the first day of elections, coming in at 7.61 percent, according to the Texas Secretary of State. In total, about 78 percent of voting-age Texans were eligible to vote between Oct. 24 and Nov. 8. Here are the top five polling locations for early voting.

Brazoria County

Tom Reid Library: 1,911 votes Lake Jackson Civic Center: 1,592 votes Westside Event Center: 1,540 votes Alvin Library: 1,276 votes Pearland Westside Library: 1,169 votes

Galveston County

North County Annex: 1,583 votes Friendswood City Hall: 1,258 votes West County Building: 1,005 votes Nessler Center: 940 votes Galveston County Court House: 923 votes