The first day of early voting in the Nov. 5 general election was Monday, October 21. Llano County saw 1,791 voters cast their ballots on Monday, a strong turnout according to Llano County Elections Administrator Andrea Wilson. Horseshoe Bay City Hall processed 646 voters on Monday, the Kingsland Public Library processed 630 voters, and the Llano County Library processed 515 voters.
Tuesday's turnout of 1,596 voters countywide was also impressive with Kingsland reporting 562 ballots cast, HSB reporting 539 ballots cast, and Llano reporting 495 ballots cast.
According to the Secretary of State's website, Llano County's in person and absentee ballot turnout as of Tuesday evening was over 20% of its 18,458 registered voters one of the highest turnout rates statewide. These strong numbers came as no surprise to Wilson, who has been forecasting a very high voter turnout for quite some time.
Pursuant to an amendment to the Texas Election Code passed in 2023, voting hours for state or county oces are now expanded during the second week of early voting. Previously, Llano County and other Texas counties with populations less than 55,000 were exempt from expanded early voting hours. From Monday, Oct. 28 though Friday, Nov. 1, the polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. at all three early voting locations in Llano County, including at HSB City Hall.
The 2023 amendment to the Texas Election Code also requires that early voting be made available for at least 12 consecutive hours on the last Saturday of early voting at the main early voting polling location, and on the last Sunday for at least six consecutive hours. In Llano County, all three polling locations will be open on Saturday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. and on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.
During early voting, voters may cast their ballots at any of the early voting locations, but on election day, voters must vote at their assigned precinct location. It will be interesting to see if the percentage of Llano County voter turnout continues to be among the highest, if not the highest, in the state.
