Participation in Texas elections has ebbed and flowed for years in a clear pattern — turnout rising in presidential years and receding in midterm elections when statewide seats are on the ballot.
Then came 2018 when more than half of the state’s registered voters turned out, nearing a presidential level of enthusiasm and raising hopes of a new era of increased engagement among Texas voters. With most of the votes from the 2022 election counted, though, it seems 2018 was more of an outlier than a trend.
Just 45.7% of the state’s 17.7 million registered voters cast ballots in the 2022 midterm election. Despite the lower turnout compared to 2018, this year’s midterms did offer some optimism for increased participation in nonpresidential election years. Turnout in this year’s midterm elections surpassed every other midterm election in the last 20 years.
