Early voting in Texas begins Tuesday

Now it’s Texas’ turn.

The spotlight that has been on the earliest states to weigh in on the 2016 presidential battle now shifts to Texas, as voters here — who potentially could turn out in record numbers — get their chance to head to the polls.

Texas, a large state that generally has a small voice in the battle for the White House, could well make an impact in this year’s presidential race.

“Much like 2008, when the Democratic race was still a real contest when Texans went to the polls, it looks like the March 1 primary will (have) the same sort of dynamic,” said Rebecca Deen, who heads the political science department at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Early voting begins Tuesday for the March 1 primary and runs through Feb. 26.

Although several candidates have dropped out of the GOP presidential race, the battle for the nomination in both parties is alive and well.

And officials say excitement about making a difference in the race for the White House could motivate more than usual of the state’s 14.1 million registered voters — more than 1 million in Tarrant County alone — to vote this year.

“Presidential elections are historically the highest turnout elections,” said Frank Phillips, Tarrant County’s election administrator. “I am hearing from both the Democratic and Republican parties that they are expecting large turnouts.”

But it’s not just about the presidential battle.

Tarrant County voters also will weigh in on a slew of elections stretching from Congress to the Texas Legislature to the local courthouse, not to mention picking leaders for both the Tarrant County Republican and Democratic parties.

Record turnout?

This time it's the Republicans’ turn.

In 2008, all eyes were on Texas as Democrats turned out in historic numbers to weigh in on the tight presidential primary battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Texas didn’t disappoint, as voters gave Clinton the popular vote victory here, but Obama picked up more delegates through the caucus process.

Now, with the crowded GOP field of presidential candidates, a larger than usual crowd of Republican candidates could head to the polls on March 1.

Several candidates who have already dropped out of the race — Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul and Rick Santorum — will still be on the Texas ballot.

But there’s still a heated contest, particularly between Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Donald Trump.

The Texas Secretary of State’s office isn’t forecasting the number of voters who might turn out, but notes there’s always more interest in presidential elections “especially if the race for a party’s nominee is still uncertain,” agency spokeswoman Alicia Pierce said.

“You can’t rule out a record turnout,” said Bruce Buchanan, a political science professor at the University of Texas who specializes in presidential politics. “If it’s close and exciting, I would expect a big turnout.”

“This is the time to make a difference.”

Voting facts

A large number of Texas voters — perhaps even half of those who will cast ballots in the primary election — are expected to head the polls during early voting, officials have said.

During the last presidential election, in 2012, 55,266 early ballots were cast in person and by mail in Tarrant County and 565,538 ballots were cast early statewide in the state’s 15 largest counties, Secretary of State records show.

In 2008, 123,343 early ballots were cast in Tarrant County and nearly 1.2 million were cast statewide, state records show.

To vote in Texas, a person must be a U.S. citizen, at least 17 years and 10 months old (and 18 by Election Day), mentally sound and not a convicted felon unless the sentence has been completed including parole or probation.

“Remember to have an approved form of photo ID available,” Phillips said.

Acceptable IDs include a driver’s license, a state-issued personal ID card, concealed handgun license, military ID card, citizenship certificate with photo or a passport. Any license that’s expired must not be expired for more than 60 days.

Anyone who doesn’t have one of the acceptable forms of ID may get a free election identification certificate at a driver’s license office.

Sample ballots are available online.

For information about early voting sites, or questions about early voting, contact the Tarrant County Elections Center at 817-831-8683 or go online. Friday is the last day to apply for a ballot by mail.

This story was originally published February 13, 2016 at 3:32 PM with the headline "Early voting in Texas begins Tuesday."