Vote Early - A Midterm Is Won by the People Who Show Up

Written By James Hendricks

A midterm is not a presidential year. Fewer people vote, and the people who do vote decide it. That is the whole argument. If Republican voters in Bandera County sit this one out, a smaller electorate decides the races on the ballot. Early voting starts Monday, October 19. Do not wait for Election Day.

The midterm drop-off is the risk

The pattern is old and steady. Since 1980, presidential elections have averaged about 63 percent reported turnout. Midterms have averaged about 48 percent, a drop of about 15 points. Texas in 2022 was 45.7 percent of registered voters. A smaller electorate is easier to move. The remedy is not a speech. It is a ballot.

What a lost Congress costs

The House and the Senate are on this ballot. Republicans hold narrow majorities in both. A swing of a few House seats, or four Senate seats, changes who sets the agenda in Washington. That is not a theory. It is what happened in the first midterm of President Trump’s first term.

In 2018, Democrats took the House. Republicans held the Senate. The new House majority did not pass the president’s agenda. It investigated, and it impeached. The House voted to impeach President Trump in December 2019. The Senate acquitted him. A second House impeachment followed in January 2021, and the Senate acquitted again. Divided government meant the president’s priorities stopped at the House door.

That is the risk if Republican voters stay home this year. A smaller electorate makes a flip easier. The other party does not need every Republican in Bandera County to switch sides. It needs enough of its own voters to show up while enough of ours sit out. Sitting out is an advantage handed to the other side.

Early voting is built for a Hill Country week

Texas early voting for this election runs October 19 through October 30. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. During early voting, a registered Bandera County voter may use any of the county’s three early-voting sites. On Election Day, you vote at your assigned precinct.

Bandera County’s early-voting sites, from the county’s own polling list:

  • County Annex, 1212 Hackberry Street, Bandera

  • Lakehills Area Library, 7200 FM 1283, Lakehills

  • Medina Annex, 161 East Parker Street, Medina

Hours from that same county list: October 19–23, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. October 26–30, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Weekend voting is at the County Annex only: Saturday, October 24, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, October 25, 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Next weekend is open. Use it. Bring an acceptable photo ID. The registration deadline was October 5. The mail-ballot application deadline is October 23.

What is on the line

This ballot has federal, state, and local races. The House, the Senate, statewide offices, the Legislature, and county offices are decided in the same trip to the polls. You do not need a perfect afternoon on November 3. You need one of the twelve early-voting days, including a Saturday or a Sunday at the Annex.

The Bandera County Republican Party is asking you to cast your ballot, both as a right, and a respons.

Don’t wait

Early voting is open now, and it is open next weekend. A midterm is decided by the people who show up. Be one of them.

Call To Action

James Hendricks
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