Texas to Expand Weekend Voting Ahead of Election Cycle

Texas is set to expand its early voting period for the next presidential election, allowing in-person voting to continue over the weekend prior to Election Day. According to a recent post by journalist Jeremy Wallace on his X account, a new bill will permit Texans to vote on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday leading up to the election. This marks a significant change from the current law, which ends in-person early voting at 7:00 a.m. on the Tuesday before Election Day. With the new measure, the early voting period will span a continuous 13 days.

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick commented on the change, saying, “This means once the voting starts — the same number of early vote days — it just doesn’t stop.” The continuity of early voting aims to make the process more accessible by eliminating the existing pause between the final weekend and Election Day.

Senate Bill 2753 was authored by State Sen. Bob Hall and has drawn support across party lines, including a notably positive response from Democrats. As Texas prepares for the election cycle, this adjustment to early voting procedures could significantly increase voter turnout.

According to the Houston Chronicle, as Gov. Abbot signs the bill into law, the change will take place until the next presidential election cycle in 2028. This also includes a change on how Texas reports the results, meaning early voters results will be shown when results for Election Day are also ready to be released, no longer just after polls close on election night.SB 2753, aims to streamline Texas election procedures by integrating early voting sites with election day polling places, standardizing vote processing and reporting, and updating early voting hours standardized to begin 12 days before election day and continue through the fourth day before election day, including weekends and holidays, with specified minimum daily hours and extended hours for certain elections. The bill also mandates the registrar’s office remain open during extended early voting hours to provide voter registration information.