Travis County surpasses its 2016 turnout—with three full days of voting to go

With three more full days of voting left this election, Travis County has surpassed its November 2016 turnout.

As of midday on Wednesday, 486,206 votes had been cast during the early voting period and by mail compared to a total of 477,588 votes in the last presidential election.

"We can't emphasize enough how proud we are of Travis County voters for coming out in huge numbers during this early voting period," the Travis County Clerk's office tweeted.

During the last presidential election, nearly 80% of Travis County voters cast their ballots early. Of the 477,588 total votes, only 103,536 were cast on Election Day.

This trend is not limited to Travis County. Nearby Hays and Williamson counties surpassed their 2016 numbers earlier this week, and turnout is up statewide—and across the country—despite the ongoing pandemic.

As of Tuesday, more than 8.1 million people—or around 48% of registered voters—had cast their ballots early in Texas. This surpasses turnout during the first two weeks of early voting in both 2016, when nearly 44% of registered voters had cast their ballots, and 2012, when less than 37% had, according to the Texas Tribune.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced over the summer that the early voting period would be extended by six days due to the pandemic.

Texas is 819,931 votes away from surpassing the statewide turnout in the 2016 general election. It has already exceeded the 2012 turnout by 155,445 votes, according to the Texas Secretary of State's office.

The early voting period ends on Friday, Oct. 30. Registered voters will be able to cast their ballots so long as they are in line by 7 p.m. A list of early voting polling locations can be found here.

The following six polling locations will be open until 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday:

• Ben Hur Shrine Centerr
• Millennium Youth Complex
• PfISD Rock Gym
• South Park Meadows, Suite 400
• South Park Meadows, Suite 500
• Austin Central Library

Residents can find wait time estimates for each location here, whether they are registered to vote here, voter identification requirements in Texas here, their personal ballot here and some races to watch here.

Many local businesses are also encouraging voting by offering specials—from a free slice of pizza to a discounted pint—to those who bring in their "I voted" or "Yo voté" sticker.

This story has been updated to clarify the total number of votes cast in the 2016 presidential election.

More on voting:

5 places that reward you for voting early this year