MIDLAND COUNTY, Texas — We are just 21 days away from the Nov. 5 Election.
While voter registration in Texas has been closed for about a week now, it's still important to look at the registration results.
The Ector County Elections Office reported they have over 86,000 registered voters and Midland County is just shy of 100,000, sitting at 99,124 people registered to vote.
On Monday, Oct. 7, around 300 people came out to register before the big election - significantly more than previous elections.
Midland County Elections Administrator, Rosa Olgin, said it's a noticeable increase.
"We definitely had more people [registering] to vote this time compared to last year," Olgin said. "You know, we have kind of a big election coming up that everyone wants to vote for."
However, it wasn't just the big races that pushed more people to register in Midland County.
"The big elections we all hear about are the ones that typically happen every four years—like presidential, state and governorship elections, but a lot of people don't realize that local elections happen every year in May, and even during odd months," Olgin said. "Counties all over the state hold multiple elections a year, many of them for local government positions that impact our schools, cities and hospitals."
Olgin also said, "there has been some interest in our local City Council At-Large election that's going on. We'll be able to vote on two individuals on that race, so we have actually had a lot of calls in the office about that local race."
Even though registration has ended, there are a few things to keep in mind before Election Day. First and foremost, every vote matters.
Olgin said in her seven years working with the elections office, she has seen elections come down to just 10 votes.
"Had 10 people voted differently, the outcome could have been completely different, so yes," she said. "Every single vote counts, especially in our local elections."
One more thing - the 2024 ballot will not be a short one.
"This ballot is going to be a bit longer than usual," Olgin warned. "We’ve got federal, state, county, city elections, along with hospital and school board races, including both MISD and Greenwood ISD."
One key thing that could help voters is double-checking your selections before you submit your ballot. This way you can make sure that your vote is exactly who you intended it to be.
Midland County voters should also be aware of a new procedure in place this year due to ongoing litigation.
Before, ballots were blank, and the system would generate a random number for each one. Now, the ballots already have numbers on them. When you go to vote, you’ll put your ballot into a machine that prints out details like the election and your precinct.
Come Nov. 5, remember to take your time when casting each vote.
You can also take advantage of early voting which runs Oct. 21 through Nov. 1.