Voter registration sets new record in Bexar County

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – A record number of Bexar County residents have registered to vote in the Texas Primary next month.

Bexar County Elections Administrator says as of Monday night, 1,128,625 county residents were on the voter registration rolls and the number keeps increasing.

The department is still processing applications that are coming in. Some were mailed to the Texas Secretary of State’s office, and Callanen says it will take a few days to get those voter registration forms boxed up and sent to the Bexar County Elections office. As long as they were postmarked by February 3, those applications will be processed.

In 2016, the last presidential election year, 976,842 Bexar County residents registered to vote in the Texas Primary, so there’s a significant increase this time around.

“That’s a significant increase –about 150,000 more registered voters for this presidential primary,” said Callanen.

She noted that the number is bigger than the population of some Texas counties.

“The reason for the increase is twofold,” Callanen said. “Obviously, the growth that we’ve seen in the San Antonio area is one thing that we’re dealing with, but there’s also a lot of interest in these elections.”

How many registered voters will actually turn out for the March 3 primary remains to be scene.

“In a presidential primary, the highest we’ve had is a 25- percent turnout (in 2016) ,but with all the interest in these elections, I’m hoping to see that number go up this year,” said Callanen.

Early voting will begin Tuesday, Feb. 18 and continue through Friday, Feb. 28. You can cast your ballot at any poll that is open, and the same system will be used for the March 3 primary election.

Instead of voting at a designated precinct, you’ll be able to cast your ballot at any poll March 3. Callanen says that proved to be more convenient for many voters in the general election last November. Nearly 40 percent of the voters cast their ballots outside of their home precincts.

“Most of our poll sites are schools and I think a lot of teachers voted at the schools where they work,” she said.

For more information on the upcoming primary, visit the Bexar County Elections Department.