DALLAS — Voters have begun to cast their ballots in the 2020 primary across Texas, and the numbers are in from the first day of early voting across the state.
Several trends emerged from across North Texas' four most populous counties as precincts reported back.
Compared to the 2016 March primary, which was the country's last presidential election cycle, the number of registered voters is much higher.
And the number of voters casting ballots in the Democratic primary has about doubled in Dallas, Collin and Denton counties, with a significant increase seen in Tarrant as well.
The same can't be said for Republican primary participation across North Texas. With an incumbent president running for re-election in 2020, the party saw mostly lower levels of first day voting compared with 2016.
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Below is a breakdown of the numbers of the four biggest counties.
Dallas County early voting
In Dallas County, 125,466 more people are registered to vote for the 2020 primary compared with 2016, meaning registration for the country was about 10% higher than that of 2016.
Democrats have really upped their participation in the primary so far, going from 4,708 votes on the first day of early voting in 2016 to 8,507 in 2020, which is almost an 81% increase.
Republicans saw first-day participation from 5,095 in 2016 to 4,139 voters in 2020, about a 19% decrease.
For context, Dallas County had an estimated population of 2,646,173 in 2018, which was the most recent year of data available from the Texas Demographic Center. The county's estimated population in 2016 was 2,591,002, so it had population growth of 2.13% in two years.
Tarrant County early voting
Tarrant County also had an increase in voter registration compared to 2016, with 141,223 more registered voters in 2020, an almost 14% increase.
Democrats increased participation as well, with 25% more votes cast on the first day of early voting comparatively.
Republicans in Tarrant County saw a drop in their vote totals on the first day of the primary -- they had about 1,400 less votes.
For context, Tarrant County had an estimated population of 2,052,267 in 2018. Its estimated population in 2016 was 1,984,677, meaning the county population grew about 3.4%.
Collin County early voting
Collin County experienced a surge of Democratic participation on the first day of early voting, with more than double the number of voters casting their ballots in the 2020 primary compared to 2016.
It also saw a big rise in registered voters, with 103,916 more in 2020 than 2016. That's an almost 21% increase.
Republican primary voting was down from its first-day early voting totals in 2016, with 395 fewer ballots cast.
For context, Collin County had an estimated population of 1,003,919 in 2018, while its estimated population in 2016 was 959,054, meaning the county had grown by about 5% in the two years.
Denton County early voting
Denton County had a huge rise in registered voters as well. The county now has 95,596 more registered voters than it did in 2016, around a 22% increase.
It also experienced a large increase in the number of Democrats voting on the first day of the primary, which was more than two and a half times the number who voted in 2016.
For Republicans, the county actually bucked the trend in North Texas, with a higher level of primary participation on the first day in 2020 compared with 2016. The increase was about 10% higher.
The county had an estimated population of 851,828 in 2018. The estimated population in 2016 was 805,292, meaning the county was about 6% larger in 2018.
A look at the raw numbers
Dallas County
- Registered voters in 2016: 1,217,771
- Registered voters in 2020: 1,343,237
- Total number of Democrats that voted on the first day in 2016: 4,708
- Total number of Democrats that voted on the first day in 2020: 8,507
- Total number of Republicans that voted on the first day in 2016: 5,095
- Total number of Republicans that voted on the first day in 2020: 4,139
Tarrant County
- Registered voters in 2016: 1,019,633
- Registered voters in 2020: 1,160,856
- Total number of Democrats that voted on the first day in 2016: 5,448
- Total number of Democrats that voted on the first day in 2020: 6,822
- Total number of Republicans that voted on the first day in 2016: 7,863
- Total number of Republicans that voted on the first day in 2020: 6,469
Collin County
- Registered voters in 2016: 500,059
- Registered voters in 2020: 603,975
- Total number of Democrats that voted on the first day in 2016: 1,222
- Total number of Democrats that voted on the first day in 2020: 2,557
- Total number of Republicans that voted on the first day in 2016: 3,189
- Total number of Republicans that voted on the first day in 2020: 2,794
Denton County
- Registered voters in 2016: 429,934
- Registered voters in 2020: 525,530
- Total number of Democrats that voted on the first day in 2016: 997
- Total number of Democrats that voted on the first day in 2020: 2,609
- Total number of Republicans that voted on the first day in 2016: 3,827
- Total number of Republicans that voted on the first day in 2020: 4,225
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