In unprecedented fashion, Fort Bend County cast more votes for a Democratic presidential candidate than for a Republican in this year’s general election. It was the only county—aside from Harris—to do so in the Greater Houston area. Hillary Clinton received over 17,000 more votes than Donald Trump on Nov. 8, which gave Clinton roughly 51 percent of the county’s vote, according to election results from the Fort Bend County Elections and Voter Registration office. Only 27 of the state’s 254 counties turned blue in the general election, however results are unofficial until canvassed. “Fort Bend County [is] blue; it was not unexpected,” said U.S. District 9 Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, who was re-elected for a seventh term. According to Democratic Party officials, these results are on par with the organization’s growth in the area. Cynthia Ginyard, the party chairwoman in Fort Bend County, said the party’s membership network has grown from 1,500 people to 2,000 people since she was elected in March. Ginyard said recruitment, community outreach and voter engagement, as well as voter registration have been crucial aspects of the party’s mission this year. She said she was pleased with the county’s voter turnout, which was more than 65 percent. The party is especially proud of the turnout from minorities in the county, including Muslim and Hispanic voters, she said. “A lot of our groups who have not traditionally turned out in high numbers really stepped it up this year,” she said. “That’s a good thing that has come out of this election.” According to Ginyard, the party’s focus for the future will be on down-ballot positions. She said she believes Clinton’s large margin of victory in the county did not trickle down to local candidates in part because Republican voters broke their straight tickets to vote for the Democratic presidential candidate. However, Ginyard said she is confident Fort Bend County can continue to be a “model of a county” in future elections as the party works to turn Texas from red to purple and, perhaps, eventually blue. Working with churches, businesses, organizations and other counties will remain of utmost importance, she said. “We are a salad bowl; not a melting pot,” she said. “We all retain our distinctive features, and we do not melt together and become one. But, when we’re together, we make a wonderful meal.”