El Paso County sees lower turnout for first day of early voting than previous elections

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- 33 early voting locations are open this week across El Paso county for voters to cast their ballot.

According to statistics from the El Paso County Elections Office, 19,431 people voted on the first day of early voting in 2016.

In the 2020 election, that number dropped slightly to 19,067.

When early voting opened for this year's election on Monday, only 17,872 people went to the polls.

Meanwhile, the number of registered voters has increased by 94,592 people since 2016.

El Paso County election officials said most people participate on the first and last day of the early voting session.

"When it comes to November 2020, yes, there's a difference of 2,000 voters, but again, there's still 12 days," Melissa Martin, county elections information and resources coordinator said. "We just want to see the participation with the next days to come."

"Voting is a privilege and something that everyone should really take quite seriously," El Paso resident Roy Wood said.

El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego wasn't available for an interview, but he did say that County Commissioners work with the Elections Department to find locations that are ADA accessible, close to public transportation, easy for diverse populations to access and have ample parking (including accessible parking).

Other factors include "neutral" locations, distribution across the county, and sites that are safe and secure for voters and election workers.

"Voters can vote at any early voting location. Same for election day," Martin added.