With early voting starting this week, one Texas county set a new opening-day record for ballots cast.
On Monday, Dallas County voters cast 87,482 ballots, surpassing the number set on day one of the 2024 presidential election. A predominantly blue area, the Dallas County Democratic Party (DCDP) said it spent months organizing in communities across the county and expanding its voter outreach to get to this number.
“Eighty-seven thousand ballots on day one is what a real ground game looks like,” said Kardal Coleman, chair of the DCDP.
But this record-breaking turnout did not come out of nowhere. Coleman said the party focused on reaching voters who have previously been overlooked by traditional campaign outreach efforts in the past. For example, renters.
“We knocked on apartment doors other campaigns have ignored for years,” Coleman said.
Through its apartment project, DCDP took voter outreach directly into multifamily communities across the county. Since renters move more often, DCDP went door to door to make sure those residents knew when, where, and how to vote.
The party also focused on building its campaign infrastructure and mobilizing precinct-level organizers.
“We filled two offices with campaign staff, literature and yard signs,” Coleman said. “We put our precinct chairs to work in every corner of this county.”
Coleman said the county’s Democratic leadership has helped expand access to early voting, which will be crucial in this election.
"Dallas County voters have extended early voting hours because they elected a Democratic majority to the Commissioners Court," Coleman said. "When Democrats lead, things get better."
This county group reflects a similar sentiment that Democrats across the country are echoing as lawmakers are working to take back control of both chambers.
“Dallas County Democrats came to win this election, and day one proves we are ready,” Coleman said. “There are eleven days of early voting left. We are just getting started.”
