Harris County voters cast 104,201 ballots on the first day of early voting Monday, Oct. 19, smashing the previous midterm record by more than 40,000 votes.

The Harris County clerk's office confirmed the milestone, first reported by Click2Houston. The old record of 63,188 ballots was set during the 2018 midterm elections, KHOU reported.

The record fell well before polls closed. Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth told KHOU that more than 21,000 people had already voted shortly after 10 a.m.

"A little bit after 10 o'clock, over 21,000 individuals to already vote," she said. "That tells you, with that type of momentum, we could probably break a number on the first day of early voting."

Lines stretched out the door at polling sites across the county. The Richard and Meg Weekley Community Center in Cypress led all 75 locations with 3,153 votes by 6 p.m., according to Click2Houston. The Kingwood Community Center followed with 2,794, then Juergens Hall Community Center with 2,755.

Closer to the Clear Lake area, the University of Houston-Clear Lake Bayou Building and the Freeman Branch Library on Diana Lane in Houston (77062) are among the 75 Harris County early voting sites, according to the city of Houston's official election notice. Friendswood voters in Galveston County can cast ballots at First Baptist Church on South Friendswood Drive or Village on the Park on East Parkwood Drive, according to the Galveston County Daily News.

As we reported Saturday, early voting runs through Oct. 30. Harris County polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. most days, with shorter Sunday hours of noon to 7 p.m. on Oct. 25. Galveston County hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through Oct. 23. Hours expand to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 24 and Oct. 26–30, with Sunday, Oct. 25, hours of 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Harris County voters can cast a ballot at any of the 75 locations regardless of home precinct, according to Houston Public Media. KHOU reported the ballot includes at least 100 items and encouraged voters to review a sample before heading to the polls.

The surge comes even though this is a midterm cycle, not a presidential year. Competitive races for governor, U.S. Senate and Harris County judge are on the ballot. An ABC News analysis reported by ABC13 found Harris County has 193 fewer Election Day polling sites this cycle compared to 2022, dropping from 782 to 589. Political expert Nancy Sims told ABC13 the reduction reflects a shift toward early voting.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. statewide.