Tarrant County voters shatter early voting records

Tarrant County voters turned out in record numbers for this year’s presidential primary elections.

Nearly 140,000 voters in Tarrant County cast early votes for the March 1 presidential primary election, shattering previous records set in the 2008 presidential primary that featured a close contest between Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

This year, the contentious battle for the Republican presidential nomination drove turnout records, keeping at least two local polling locations — the Summerglen Branch Library in Fort Worth and the Center for Community Service Junior League of Arlington — open long after the 7 p.m. closing time because hundreds of people were still in line.

“We had a record turnout,” said Frank Philips, Tarrant County’s election administrator. “It was a killer turnout. We haven’t heard any voter complaints. Strictly an enthusiastic turnout.”

With nearly all the votes counted by Friday night, 139,377 local voters — 95,080 Republicans and 44,297 Democrats — had cast early and mail-in ballots.

In 2008, 123,343 Tarrant County voters — 36,759 Republicans and 86,584 Democrats — cast early ballots.

Statewide voting numbers won’t be available until Saturday.

Voters also are making their choices in races from Congress to the Texas Legislature to the local courthouse, not to mention picking leaders for both the Tarrant County Republican and Democratic parties.

Polls will be open one last time until November: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Sample ballots are online at www.tarrantcounty.com/evote.

For more information, call the Tarrant County Elections Center at 817-831-8683.

This story was originally published February 26, 2016 at 9:09 PM with the headline "Tarrant County voters shatter early voting records."