Compared with the same point in 2022, Democratic early voting is up by roughly 211,000 ballots, while Republican turnout has increased by about 6,000.

Lubbock County saw more than 7,000 voters in the first three days of early voting, that’s a more than 75% increase over turnout in the last two primary election cycles. Our reporter Brad Burt spoke with voters about what brought them out to the polls. Last week, a Texas Tech University assistant professor and two other Lubbock residents were federally charged for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

Early voting for the Texas primary elections runs Feb. 17-27. Texas voters will determine which candidates will compete in November’s general election for various offices including Governor, Attorney General, and federal and statewide representatives.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders went from national headlines to hard questions in just a few days—stunning the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats before falling to the unranked Arizona State Sun Devils and losing preseason All-American JT Toppin to a season-ending torn ACL.