Pearland Leads the Way as Brazoria County Breaks Voting Record

Pearland Leads the Way as Brazoria County Breaks Voting RecordBrazoria County set a new record on Monday, Oct. 19, for the first day of early voting in a midterm election. A total of 14,599 ballots were counted, with 14,322 people voting in person and 277 voting by mail, according to County Elections Director Lisa Mujica. That is 88 percent more than the 7,747 ballots counted on the first day in 2022, and it also beat the 2018 opening-day total of 10,924. Monday's numbers were even higher than the first day of the 2020 presidential election, though still below the 16,899 ballots counted on opening day in 2024.Voting sites in the Pearland area were the busiest in the county. Pearland East led all 11 locations with 2,304 voters, followed by Shadow Creek with 2,112 and Pearland West with 2,061. In the southern part of the county, Lake Jackson had the most voters at 1,730. Even with the large crowds, Mujica said there were no major problems. Polls opened on time, voting machines worked properly, and no one reported waiting longer than an hour.Voters have plenty to decide in the Nov. 3 election. Statewide, Texans will choose a governor and a U.S. senator, among other offices. Locally, three candidates are running to replace retiring County Judge Matt Sebesta: Republican Rob Giesecke, Democrat Eugene Howard, and independent Lucinda Henry. In Freeport, voters will decide whether to recall Mayor Jerry Cain in an effort led by former councilman Jeff Peña. Early voting runs through Oct. 30, and sample ballots and polling hours are available at brazoriacountyclerktx . gov.