Collin County Reports 72,657 Early Ballots Ahead of March 3 Primary

Collin County’s Election Summary, timestamped 03/03/2026 6:23 PM, lists 132,390 early votes and 4,017 ballots by mail for a total of 136,407 ballots cast out of 760,111 registered voters, producing a 17.95% turnout for the March 3 primary. The county report breaks the tally into party totals and contest-level figures across multiple pages of the Electionware report.

The county summary shows party breakdowns of 70,843 ballots cast in Republican contests — including 1,931 ballots by mail and 68,912 early votes — and 65,564 ballots cast in Democratic contests — including 2,086 by mail and 63,478 early votes. Earlier check-in snapshots recorded 132,310 early-voting check-ins after 11 days of early voting, figures that sit within about 80 ballots of the county summary and reflect reporting taken at different times during the early-vote period.

Collin County elections administrator Kaleb Breaux, who said his team and volunteers worked long hours to support the election, cautioned voters to plan around polling locations and staffing. “There is probably a location right around the corner that has little to no wait. I would encourage our voters to make a plan as they prepare to go to the polls tomorrow,” Breaux said, adding that “patience and grace is what I would ask for as people go to the polls tomorrow, and we’re almost there.” County officials used hand-marked paper ballots in the primary for the first time as part of efforts to boost security and transparency.

Turnout this March represents a sharp jump from previous March primaries in Collin County. Historical early-vote figures show 61,414 early ballots in 2022 and 77,031 in 2024; the preliminary early-vote total in this cycle reached roughly 132,310–132,390, a roughly 72% climb from 2022 early voting. Voter registration across the county has increased over recent years; one registration snapshot cited a rise from 671,662 to 752,502, while the county’s Electionware summary lists 760,111 registered voters for this cycle, reflecting differences in registration snapshots used by analysts.

Local political dynamics surfaced in comments from an individual identified only as Sutka, whose full name and affiliation were not provided. Sutka said, “We are seeing a much larger number than normal of voters that previously voted in the Republican primary that are voting in the Democratic primary,” and noted, “For the first time in Texas history, every single spot on the Democratic ballot for Congress, U.S. Senate, Texas Senate, Texas House, and State Board of Education has a Democratic candidate, and many of these races have competitive primaries, led by Jasmine Crockett vs. James Talarico at the top.” Sutka also pointed to youth turnout as pivotal: “The biggest demographic group of non-voters is the youth vote, and they can decide any race on the ballot just by showing up.”

Contest-level pages in the county report show specific tallies that illuminate voter choices and down-ballot drop-off. In the Republican U.S. Senator excerpt, Ken Paxton received 27,814 votes (399 by mail, 27,415 early), Sara Canady received 867 votes (22 by mail, 845 early), and Anna Bender 514 votes (19 by mail, 495 early); that page lists Total Votes Cast 47,168 and an undervote of 23,570, with Contest Totals shown at 70,738. Republican judicial pages show single-candidate tallies such as Cyndi McCrann Wheless with 46,945 votes (1,200 by mail, 45,745 early), Jill Willis with 47,028 votes (1,194 by mail, 45,834 early), Ben Smith with 49,119 votes (1,249 by mail, 47,870 early), and Ashley Wysocki with 48,819 votes (1,237 by mail, 47,582 early), alongside undervotes in the 21,000–23,000 range on those pages.

Registered voters in Collin County can cast a ballot at any Vote Center across the county on election day, March 3, and county officials will continue processing ballots and reconciling totals as the county moves toward canvass and certification. Kaleb Breaux urged a steady approach from voters and staff as results are finalized: “Amongst the voters there’s definitely a buzz as well.”