Electoral Votes: 38

What did the polls say before Election Day: Trump leading Biden 48% to 46%

Who won the state in 2016: Trump by 9%

Why it’s important: Though more of a long shot for Biden – the last time Texas voted for a Democratic presidential candidate was when Jimmy Carter won the state in 1976 – young voters and a large Latino population have been shifting the state from Republican red to competitive purple over recent years. Furthermore, in past elections Democratic-leaning demographics such as the state’s Black and Latino citizens have suffered from low participation. This year, however, Texas voters are showing up like never before – the number of Texans who voted early in 2020 has already exceeded the total number of Texans who have ever voted in any previous election.

However, Republicans have been working to limit the number of Texans who can vote. As Blavity previously reported, the state’s governor implemented a rule allowing only one drop off location per county for absentee ballots. Now, Republicans are attempting to have over 100,000 votes thrown out in Harris County, a largely Black and Latino and that includes Houston. That effort seems to have been defeated, but the Trump campaign has an army of lawyers on hand today throughout the country, meaning that the fight in Texas and elsewhere might not be over.

When do the polls close: 9 p.m. EST/8 p.m. in many counties

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