44,000 voters and counting in Hidalgo County

As of last Thursday, 44,193 registered voters in Hidalgo County had cast ballots in early voting for the March 3 Primary Election, according to unofficial figures posted online by the elections administrator.

The results of the election will determine the Democratic and Republican nominees for president, U.S. senators and representatives, as well as state and county officials.

Early voting started Feb. 18 and ended last Friday. This year’s primary election has seen an increase in registered voters, compared with 2016.

“We had, at that time, 317,000 registered voters, and now, we have 379,000 registered voters,” said Yvonne Ramon, elections administrator for Hidalgo County. “Over 62,000 more people registered.”

In the 2016 primaries, 51,023 voters cast ballots in Hidalgo County. Of these, 41,562 were Democrats and 9,461 were Republicans.

As of Thursday, 38,625 Democrats and 5,568 Republicans had voted.

Even with more registered voters in Hidalgo County, it appears fewer people were voting on the Edinburg campus. During the same period in the 2016 Primary Election, 1,602 people voted on campus. However, between Feb. 18 and last Thursday, only 1,401 people had cast ballots in the Student Union, a decrease of 201 votes.

“I think that a lot of [UTRGV students] don’t see politics as something that affects them,” UTRGV political science Professor James Wenzel said. “They don’t feel they have a place in it. … They don’t feel their vote matters and so they don’t bother to get informed and to exercise their right.”

Election Day will take place Tuesday. An ID is required in every polling location.

Yamileth Uribe, a political science senior, said she participated in this year’s early voting and encourages students to be more politically involved.

“I think it’s important to vote early because it increases the voter participation,” Uribe said. “It’s a way that we can, as citizens … participate in our democracy. It’s a way of expressing our opinion and [making] a change in our country.”

Voters will return to the polls on Election Day, Nov. 3.

For information about Election Day or voting qualifications, visit www.hidalgocounty.us.