More than 91,000 El Paso County residents voted in the March 3 Democratic and Republican primaries, shattering the record for turnout in midterm elections.
The turnout even surpassed the presidential primary years of 2012, 2016 and 2020, according to an El Paso Matters analysis of county voting records.
The previous high primary turnout for a midterm election was 2018, when the Democratic primary featured El Pasoan Beto O’Rourke’s Senate candidacy. That election drew just over 68,000 voters to the Republican and Democratic primaries.
Democratic turnout this year was 75% higher than in the last midterm primary in 2022. Republican turnout was up 33% from 2022.
ELECTION RESULTS: Who won, who’s headed to a runoff in 2026 primary elections
The 2026 primary took place amid increasing national political polarization. Both Texas Republicans and Democrats had high profile Senate primaries that were the main draw for the election. Turnout across the state was well above past midterm primary levels
The Republican primary turnout in El Paso was the second highest ever, behind only the 2016 presidential primary that featured Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
Turnout in the Democratic primary in El Paso was higher than all years other than the 2008 and 2020 presidential primaries.
The post El Paso County sees record-breaking 2026 primary turnout amid high-profile Senate races appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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