Bexar County elections administrator reports 19.4% turnout, explains decision to delay early‑vote totals

Michelle Carew, Bexar County’s elections administrator, told the commission that 248,840 ballots were cast in the Nov. 4, 2025 election from 1,286,826 registered voters, yielding a 19.4% turnout. "In total, on election day, we were right under a 100,000 voters. We were at 99,957 voters," she said, and described peak lines that included more than 3,200 people waiting at 7 p.m.

Carew said she consulted the Secretary of State during the night and withheld release of early‑voting numbers at 7 p.m. when heavy lines remained so that voters could make decisions without being swayed by preliminary tallies. She noted a legislative change she described as "Senate bill 2753, which requires Election Day results and early voting results to be reported as a single set" and said the county must decide whether to implement that consolidated reporting in 2026 or wait until 2027. Commissioners praised staff for the county’s relative speed in reporting precinct data despite the delayed public release and asked that the office improve public communications about reporting practices and expectations before the March 2026 primary.