Counties surpass expectations during elections

Election administrators discussed the results of Hidalgo and Cameron counties Tuesday elections surpassing the previous constitutional election’s turnout.

In Hidalgo County, Election Day turnout surpassed the previous constitutional amendment cycle as local races drove voters to the polls.

Hidalgo County Elections Administrator Hilda Salinas said 15,600 residents cast ballots on Election Day, topping the roughly 14,000 voters who participated in 2023.

“It is the day, you know, to cast ballots,” Salinas said. “We do see, and we know, that a lot of people here in Hidalgo County do celebrate Election Day by heading out to vote.”

She said early voting fell slightly compared to last year. A total of 21,599 voters cast ballots in person during the early voting period, down from 24,296 in 2023.

Salinas attributed strong Election Day turnout in part to contested races in Edinburg, including a mayoral race and several city council seats. The Elections Annex in Edinburg recorded the most early votes with 5,179 ballots cast, followed by the UTRGV Edinburg campus with 2,815 and the Edinburg Parks and Recreation Center with 1,968.

“We did see high voter turnout at the Edinburg polling locations,” she said.

Salinas said Hidalgo County rolled out a new electronic check-in system this election cycle, replacing paper labels with tablets. She called the change successful.

“Everything worked out great with the new iPad check-in poll book system,” Salinas said. “The process was a lot smoother.”

Long lines at several polling locations in Edinburg and McAllen kept some sites open past 7 p.m., Salinas said. Voters in line by 7 p.m. were allowed to cast ballots.

Election results remain unofficial until the county canvasses ballots Thursday. Military, overseas and cure-by-ID ballots will continue to be processed ahead of the deadline, Salinas said.

In Cameron County, the turnout surpassed the expectations with 24,871 voters who participated in this constitutional amendment election, according to Remi Garza, Cameron County election administrator.

Garza said the turnout for this election was 10.5%, which usually during a constitutional election between 8% to 9% is expected.

“It was higher than what we were expecting,” he said. “We have had a significant increase in voter registration from 2023, so it’s always a possibility that we see higher participation, but we saw a higher turnout percentage of the registered voters, which was really encouraging.”

Garza said the turnout exceeded the 2023 November election number by close to 4,000 voters.

“I think each [election] is a little different, sometimes if there are local races on the ballot at the same time, that can generate interest within specific communities,” he said about how this election can differ from other years. 

While the Edinburg campus was a polling location for this year’s election, the Brownsville campus was not a polling location. 

Garza said they are working with UTRGV administration to find a secure location in the Brownsville campus that meets requirements for securing the equipment without interfering with other activities happening on campus.

“We used to provide a location there, and I anticipate that we will again in the future,” he said.

Garza said they do their best to remind residents voting and participating in the government is an important part of being a citizen.

He added the issues that are presented to the voters are not superficial issues.

“They’re all important, otherwise they wouldn’t have to turn to the community to help make the decision on them,” Garza said.

For more information about the results, visit the Cameron County website and the Hidalgo County website.

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