Lubbock early voting turnout numbers double compared to May 2022 election

LUBBOCK, Texas — Early voter turnout numbers have nearly doubled compared to the turnout in the 2022 city election. On day three of this year’s early voting election, the turnout amounted to 3,015 people. This compares to day three in 2022, where 1,597 early voters turned out.

Vote Lubbock said 2,301 voters showed up to the polls on Thursday, April 25.

According to Drew Landry, who is a professor at South Plains College and political analyst, the number one reason voters are turning out is due to Proposition A, which would decriminalize small amounts of marijuana within Lubbock City limits.

“Whether you’re for or against it, that’s a whole other thing, but it’s this issue in and of itself that I think is causing people to come out to vote here,” Landry said. “Even people who’ve been registered for a time may not turn out for City elections and they’re coming out in this one.”

Freedom Act Lubbock, who created Proposition A in Lubbock, and Project Destiny, who is opposed to Proposition A, have spent months getting citizens registered to vote and spending money on campaigns.

“They’re reaping the benefit here one way or the other. This is purely grassroots which is pretty phenomenal,” Landry said.

Landry and Roxzine Stinson with the Lubbock County Elections Office said it might not be Proposition A alone that is bringing citizens out to the polls. They said it could also be the mayoral election, which features six diverse candidates: Adam Hernandez, Steve Massengale, Mark McBrayer, Tony Renteria, Stephen Sanders and Kolton Bacon.

“I think it’s been a while since they’ve had a large crowd for the mayor,” Stinson said about the mayoral candidates.

Nevertheless, Landry and Stinson said the jump in voter turnout is a good thing.

“Whatever your final number is for early voting, half that many or more will show up for election day … which is good. I mean it really is,” Stinson said.

There’s a chance that the 2024 early voting numbers could approach the vote on Lubbock becoming a wet city, which is the largest turnout Lubbock has seen in recent years, according to Landry.

“These numbers are tremendously large, much larger than they have been for some time,” Landry said.

Early voting runs through Tuesday, April 30. Here is a breakdown of who and what is on the 2024 ballot.

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