Early voting started Monday across Texas for the November election. In addition to the presidential election, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R) is running for a third term, Congressional races will be on the ballot, and voters will decide state and local offices.
"I'm just ready to vote and sick of all the ads and stuff," one man voting in Fort Worth said Monday.
"We've got a chance to make a difference, and many people don't want to make a difference. They want to complain," another said.
The Texas Secretary of State said voter turnout in the 2020 election was 66.7%. In 2016, voter turnout was 78%.
Monday evening, Cruz planned a "Get Out the Vote" rally in Pearland, south of Houston. He also has events scheduled on Tuesday in Corpus Christi, McAllen, and Victoria.
Cruz's campaign said he has been "tirelessly working to deliver wins for the people of Texas; leading the fight for Texas Jobs, Freedom, and Security in the U.S. Senate." His campaign said Cruz has worked to expand the state's economy, and energy sector and to secure the southern border. A complete list of his campaign issues is available on his website.
Monday, Democratic challenger Colin Allred voted early in North Dallas.
"I'm so excited there's a long line, Texans are turning out and excited to vote," he said.
Allred greeted other voters waiting.
"I want to make sure Texans know who I am and what I stand for," he said, "I was raised here by a single mom. I relied on the folks in this community here to go to Baylor, the NFL, become a lawyer, serve us in Congress, and I want to serve us in the Senate."
Allred and Cruz met for a debate in Dallas last week. A list of Allred's priorities is available on his campaign website.
"Senator Cruz could not answer a simple question about where he stood on a woman's right to choose or what exceptions he would support," Allred said Monday. "He laughed when I was talking about what happened on January 6 even though he was hiding in a supply closet, and I was preparing to defend my colleagues."
Libertarian Ted Brown is also running against Allred and Cruz. He does not have any public events listed, but he has posted his platform at https://tedbrown.org/platform.
Early voting continues across Texas through Nov. 1. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
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