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An Evaluation of Election Day Vote Centers in Harris County, Texas:

November 2019 Harris County Joint Election

This study was conducted for the Harris County Clerk’s Office by Robert M. Stein, Lena

Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, Rice University, and Elizabeth F. Vann, Director,

Center for Civic Leadership, Rice University, with generous financial support from the Laura

and John Arnold Foundation.

1. Introduction

This is the second of three reports1 on Harris County’s implementation of Election Day

countywide polling locations. The report details the results of a countywide exit poll of

November 7, 2019 Election Day voters and an analysis of where Election Day voters chose to

cast their ballots. In addition, we compare how persons who voted in both the November 2015

and 2019 general elections responded to the opportunity in November 2019 to vote at any county

polling location on Election Day.

2. Background

Prior to 2019, Election Day voters were required to cast a ballot at a specific polling location

within their residential precinct/neighborhood. Only early voters prior to 2019 were able to vote

at any early voting location throughout the county. Allowing Election Day voters to cast a ballot

at any polling location in the county extends to Election Day voters a convenience that early

voters have had since the adoption of early voting in 1994. An added convenience provided to

Election Day voters in 2019 included the opportunity to vote at one of 51 early voting locations

into operation on Election Day 2019. These polling locations are larger and more centrally

located to where many voters work, shop and travel on Election Day.

Did voters, and especially Election Day voters, take up the opportunity to cast their ballots at any

county polling place in the November 2019 election? We find substantial evidence that Election

Day voters positively responded to the county’s new Election Day program; more than 50% of

Election Day voters in 2019 chose to vote at a location outside of the residential precinct.

Almost a fifth (19%) of all voters chose to vote at one of the county’s 51 early voting locations

operating on Election Day.

We explore in detail how Harris County voters responded to new Election Day opportunities by

studying the official voter files for the 2019 and 2015 joint county elections and exit polls2

1 A third and final report will be issued after the 2020 Presidential election. 2 An exit poll was conducted with 549 Election Day voters at 64 of the 751 Election Day polling locations on

November 5, 2019. The survey asked voters about their voting experiences, why they chose to vote on Election

Day, why they chose to vote at a specific location and whether they had heard about the new countywide vote

system. In addition, we asked voters about the quality of their voting experience.2 With some minor exceptions, the

exit survey was the same instrument used in the May 2019 election. Students from Rice University conducted

surveys with voters as they left Election Day polling places. In addition, students completed a polling place site

evaluation that included information about the staff, equipment and operation of each polling location.

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conducted with voters as they left the polls in the November 2019 and May 2019 joint county

elections.

3. Where November 2019 Election Day Voters Voted

More than half (52%) of Election Day voters chose to vote at a polling location outside of their

residential precinct in the November 2019 joint county election. The balance of Election Day

voters, 48%, chose to vote at their traditional neighborhood polling location.

Among the 120,242 Election Day voters who chose to vote outside of their residential precinct,

44,327 (36% of Election Day voters, 19% of all voters) chose to vote at one of the 51 early

voting locations operating on Election Day. All November 2019 voters who voted at an early

voting location on Election Day did so at one located outside of their residential precinct.

4. Changes in when and where voters voted: 2015-2019

The November and 2015 and 2019 elections allow us to compare where the same voters cast

their ballot before and after the county’s adoption of countywide Election Day voting. Both

elections featured state constitutional amendments and the same municipal ballot in the City of

Houston. Voter participation in both elections was comparable, with 21% of registered voters

voting in the 2015 election and 17% of registered voters participating in the 2019 election. This

feature of our report provides a stronger basis for assessing the impact of the County’s new

Election Day voting program.

Among persons registered to vote in both elections, 212,393 voted in both elections. Among

those voters, we observe significant changes in when they chose to cast their ballots between

2015 and 2019. Table 1 shows the voting method choices made by the same voters in 2015 (by

columns) and 2019 (by rows). Nearly a third (32%) of voters (N=30,345) who cast an early

ballot (either in person or by mail) in 2015 cast their ballot on Election Day in the 2019 election.

Among Election Day voters in 2015, 26% (N=26,260) shifted to voting early in the 2019

election.

Table 1

Method of voting among voters who voted in 2015 and 2019

2015

2019 Mail Early Elect. Day Total

Mail 10,599 3,180 1,817 15,596

65% 3% 2% 7%

Early 3,011 61,119 26,260 90,390

18% 65% 26% 43%

Elect. Day 2,528 30,345 73,534 106,407

16% 32% 72% 50%

Total 16,138 94,644 101,611 212,393

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We recognize two populations of voters whose voting choices may have been affected by the

introduction of the countywide voting system: habitual Election Day voters (i.e., persons who

voted on Election Day in both elections) and persons who voted early in 2015 but switched to

Election Day in 2019. Where did these voters choose to vote on Election Day 2019 and did they

take up the opportunity to vote at polling locations outside of their residential neighborhoods

and/or at early voting locations operating on Election Day?

As Table 2 shows, among persons who voted on Election Day in both 2015 and 2019, 40% chose

to vote at a polling place other than their neighborhood-polling place in 2019. Among persons

who switched from early voting in 2015 to Election Day in 2019, 55% voted at a polling place

other than their neighborhood-polling place.

Table 2

2019 Election Day polling location choices by 2015 method of voting

(Percent by Column)

2019 Election Day

voting location

2015 Election Day

Voters

2015 Early Voters

Outside precinct 29,080 15,719

40% 55%

Inside precinct 44,454 13,626

60% 45%

On Election Day 2019, 44,327 voters (11% of all voters) voted at one of the 51 early voting

locations available to voters on Election Day. Voters who had voted early in 2015 were more

likely to vote at an early voting center on Election Day than those who voted on Election Day in

2015. As table 3 shows, only 9,407 (13%) of voters who voted on Election Day in both 2015

and 2019 chose to vote at one of the 51 early voting locations available to voters in November

2019. Among early voters in 2015 who chose to vote on Election Day 2019, 7,571 (25%) chose

one of these early voting locations operating on Election Day.

Table 3

2015 voting choices of those who voted at an early voting center on Election Day 2019

(Percent by Column)

2019 election

location

2015 Election Day

Voters

2015 early voters

Early voting location 64,127 22,774

87% 75%

Other Election Day 9,407 7,571

Polling location 13% 25%

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5. Correlates of where Election Day voters voted

Although nearly equal percentages of all Election Day voters in 2019 chose to vote inside and

outside of their 2015 precinct locations, we see significant differences in where these voters cast

their ballots by age3. As shown in Table 4, the majority of Election Day voters 54 years of age

and under selected to vote outside their polling precincts in 2019. In 2019, 61% of Election Day

voters under 45 and 53% of voters 45-54 chose to vote outside their precincts. By contrast, the

majority of voters 55 and older chose to vote inside their precinct boundaries; 52% of voters 55-

64, 56% of voters 64-74, and 60% of voters 75 and older voted inside their precincts.

Table 4

Polling location of Election Day voters by age: 2019

(Percent by Column)

Age <45 45-54 55-64 64-74 75+ Total

Outside precinct 46,553 23,850 25,279 17,566 6,994 120,242

61% 53% 48% 44% 40% 52%

Inside precinct 29,247 21,299 27,924 22,133 10,497 111,100

39% 47% 52% 56% 60% 48%

Total 75,800 45,149 53,203 39,699 17,491 231,342

Table 5 shows similar age-related trends among the 32,873 voters who converted to voting on

Election Day from early or mail in voting between 2015 and 2019. The proportion of these

voters who chose to vote outside their precinct decreased monotonically from 65% among voters

under 45 to 46% among voters over 75 years of age.

Table 5

Voters who converted to Election Day voting

between 2015 and 2019 by age and polling location

(Percent by column)

<45 45-54 55-54 65-74 75+

Inside precinct 3,240 3,017 4,511 4,511 2,605

65% 58% 55% 51% 46%

Outside precinct 1,891 2,164 3,691 4,295 3,016

37% 42% 45% 49% 54%

3 No significant differences in where 2019 Election Day voters cast their ballots was detected for the gender and

race/ethnicity of voters.

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6. Motivations of 2019 Election Day voters

Our November 5, 2019 exit poll of 549 Election Day voters asked voters why they voted on

Election Day and why they chose the location at which they voted. In addition, these voters

were asked to evaluate their voting experience and whether they had heard about the opportunity

to vote at any Election Day polling location.

Consistent with our comparative findings from the 2015 and 2019 voter files, two-thirds of

voters surveyed reported that they ‘always’ vote on Election Day (Table 6). Fifteen percent of

respondents reported that they voted on Election Day because of the opportunity to vote at more

Election Day polling locations. Other reasons for voting on Election Day included a preference

to vote on the ‘official Election Day” (8%), avoiding long lines (5%) and a desire to vote after

campaigning has ended (3%).

Table 6

Column N

%

Reason to vote on

Election Day

I always vote on

Election Day

68.7%

Avoid waiting in line 5.2%

Wanted to vote on

official Election day

7.9%

Like waiting until

campaign is over

2.9%

More locations to

choose from

15.4%

About half (49%) of respondents reported choosing an Election Day polling location because it

was close to their home (Table 7). Twenty-seven percent reported choosing their Election Day

polling place because of habit, i.e., “I always vote here.” Seventeen percent of respondents

reported choosing a location that was close to where they work, shop and travel on Election Day.

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Table 7

Column N

%

Reason to vote at

location

I always vote here 27%

Near where I work,

shop, travel

17%

Close to my home 49%

People I know vote

here

1%

Avoid waiting in line 3%

Wanted to try new

voting location

1.%

Younger voters were significantly more likely to report voting on Election Day because of the

greater selection of polling locations (Table 8). Similarly, habitual Election Day voters were

more likely to be older.

Table 8

Age by reason for voting on Election Day

(Percent by column)

Age

<45 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+

Reason to vote on

Election Day

I always vote on Election

Day

60% 71% 72% 74% 75%

Avoid waiting in line 6% 3% 5% 4% 0.%

Wanted to vote on

official Election day

8% 6% 6% 10% 25%

Like waiting until

campaign is over

3% 2% 4% 4% 0.0%

More locations to choose

from

21% 16% 12% 6% 0.0%

As Table 9 shows, a small majority of every age group said that proximity to their home was the

main reason for selecting their Election Day voting location. Younger voters were more likely to

report choosing an Election Day polling location that was closer to where they work, shop or

travel during the day than older voters, with 24% of those under 45 and 14% of those 45-54

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years of age reporting that they selected their voting locations for this reason. The older the

voter, the more likely they were to choose their Election Day voting location based on their

previous choices (i.e., “I always vote here”).

Table 9

Vote age by reason for voting at Election Day location

(% by column)

Age

< 45 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+

Reason to vote at

location

I always vote here 20% 27% 32% 32% 42 %

Near where I work, travel 24% 14% 9% 4% 8%

Close to my home 51% 52% 50% 55% 50%

People I know vote here 1% 1% 4% 0.0% 0.0%

Avoid waiting in line 1% 4% 3% 6. 0.0%

Wanted to try new voting

location

1% 1% 1% 2% 0.0%

No other demographic factor, including gender, race, ethnicity, education and partisan affiliation,

significantly differentiated voters on why they voted on Election Day or why they choose their

Election Day polling location.

7. Knowledge about new Election Day voting opportunities

More than three-fourths (75%) of survey respondents reported that they had heard about the new

opportunity to vote at any polling location on Election Day. Interestingly, awareness of

countywide Election Day voting was undifferentiated across partisan affiliation, age, race and

ethnicity. Only a majority of persons with less than a high school education and persons with

household incomes below $15,000 reported they had not heard about countywide voting.

Responses to our exit poll confirm what is suggested in our analysis of the 2019 voter histories.

Voters were aware of the opportunity to vote at any Election Day polling place in 2019.

Moreover, a significant portion of the Election Day voters reported that they took up the

opportunity to vote on Election Day because they preferred to vote at Election Day locations

closer to where they work, shop or travel on Election Day. Though half of Election Day voters

chose to vote at a location closer to their home, many other Election Day voters appear to have

been receptive to the opportunity to vote at other locations that were more convenient for them

on Election Day.

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8. Election Day voters’ evaluation of their voting experience

As part of our exit polls, voters in the May and November 2019 elections were asked to assess

their access to their polling place, the quality of poll workers, time to check-in and vote, and

confidence that their vote would be counted accurately.

Though the population of voters in each election is significantly different, the evaluation of the

county’s election operations is equally positive for both elections. Table 10 reports how

respondents evaluated their polling places and their operations in each election. With some

exceptions, the quality of the voter’s experience was unchanged between the two elections.

Table 10

Voters’ Evaluation of Their Voting Experience: May 2019 and November 2019

(Percent by column)

May 2019 November 2019

Location easy to find Disagree Strongly 5.9% 4.2%

Disagree somewhat 0.4% 1.7%

Neither agree or

disagree

1.2% 1.7%

Agree somewhat 2.4% 5.9%

Agree Strongly 90.1% 86.6%

Did not have to go far Disagree Strongly 5.1% 5.0%

Disagree somewhat 0.4% 0.9%

Neither agree or

disagree

0.4% 2.2%

Agree somewhat 4.0% 4.0%

Agree Strongly 90.1% 87.9%

Easy to find parking Disagree Strongly 5.5% 6.2%

Disagree somewhat 0.0% 2.1%

Neither agree or

disagree

0.0% 4.5%

Agree somewhat 2.0% 4.5%

Agree Strongly 92.5% 82.8%

Disagree Strongly 5.1% 5.0%

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Poll workers were

helpful

Disagree somewhat 0.0% 0.6%

Neither agree or

disagree

1.2% 2.8%

Agree somewhat 2.0% 7.3%

Agree Strongly 91.7% 84.4%

Confident vote will be

counted accurately

Disagree Strongly 6.7% 4.8%

Disagree somewhat 1.6% 1.3%

Neither agree or

disagree

2.4% 8.1%

Agree somewhat 3.6% 11.6%

Agree Strongly 85.8% 74.3%

Time to check in No line 97.2% 75.1%

Less than 10 minutes 2.4% 17.4%

11-20 Minutes 0.0% 5.3%

21-30 Minutes 0.0% 1.8%

More than 30 Minutes 0.4% 0.4%

In the May 2019 election, in which less than 5% of eligible voters participated, 97% of voters

reported they did not have to wait in line to vote. In the November 2019 election, turnout

increased four-old, yet 75% of voters reported they did not have wait to vote when they arrived

at the polls.

Persons who voted at one of the early voting locations available to Election Day voters reported

longer wait times than those voting at traditional neighborhood polling places. More than a

quarter of voters an early voting location on Election Day waited more than 10 minutes to vote,

while only 4% percent of voters who voted at a neighborhood polling placed waited more than

10 minutes.

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Table 11

Election

Day only

Early Voting

Location

Column % Column N %

Time in

line

No line 80.1% 53.4%

Less than 10 mins 16.0% 23.3%

11-20 mins 3.2% 14.6%

21-30 mins 0.7% 6.8%

More than 30 mins 0.0% 1.9%

Longer wait times at early voting locations on Election Day did not diminish voters’ positive

evaluation of their voting experience at these locations. Table 12 shows that voters at early

voting and neighborhood Election Day polling locations had comparable evaluations of their

voting experiences in spite of the longer lines and waiting times at early voting locations. It is

likely that voters who chose to vote at one of the early voting locations available on Election Day

did so for a variety of reasons, including familiarity or habit, location convenience, or preference

for high traffic polling places.

Table 12

Election Day

only

Column %

Early Voting

Location

Column %

Easy to find Strongly

disagree

3.2% 8.7%

Disagree 1.6% 1.9%

Agree/Disagree 1.4% 2.9%

Agree somewhat 6.1% 4.9%

Strongly agree 87.8% 81.6%

Did not have to go out

of my way to vote

Strongly

disagree

3.8% 9.7%

Disagree 0.7% 1.9%

Agree/Disagree 2.5% 1.0%

Agree somewhat 4.1% 3.9%

Strongly agree 88.9% 83.5%

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Easy to find parking Strongly

disagree

5.3% 9.9%

Disagree 1.8% 3.0%

Agree/Disagree 4.4% 5.0%

Agree somewhat 4.2% 5.9%

Strongly agree 84.3% 76.2%

Poll workers were

helpful

Strongly

disagree

3.4% 11.7%

Disagree 0.7% 0.0%

Agree/Disagree 2.7% 2.9%

Agree somewhat 6.1% 12.6%

Strongly agree 87.1% 72.8%

Confident vote will be

counted accurately

Strongly

disagree

3.4% 10.7%

Disagree 0.9% 2.9%

Agree/Disagree 8.1% 7.8%

Agree somewhat 12.9% 5.8%

Strongly agree 74.7% 72.8%

9. Summary and recommendations

In November 2019, Harris County voters were given the opportunity to vote at any one of the

751 polling places operating on Election Day. Our November 2019 polling place exit survey

found that a small majority of Election Day voters in all age groups reported that their primary

motivation for selecting an Election Day polling location was its proximity to their homes.

However, our survey found that three quarters of Election Day voters knew about the new

countywide voter system, and a majority (52%) of all Election Day voters took advantage of new

Election Day voting opportunities offered through that system. More than half of the 231,342

voters who voted on Election Day chose to vote at a polling location outside their designated

precinct. Additionally, more than a third of Election Day voters chose to vote at one of 51 early

voting centers operating on Election Day. Many of these voters had voted early in 2015 at these

larger, centrally located voting centers, and chose to vote at those same locations on Election

Day in 2019. The countywide voting system also accommodated age-based voter preferences.

Younger Election Day voters (under 45) were significantly more likely to choose a polling

location outside of their residential precinct, and nearly quarter of our survey respondents under

45 reported that they chose their polling location specifically because it was closer to where they

work, shop or travel during the day. Older Election Day voters (55+), on the other hand, were

more likely to choose an Election Day polling location proximate to their home. More than a

third of survey respondents 55-74 and more than 40% of respondents 75 and older reported that

they wanted to vote at their previous precinct polling place. These patterns suggest that older

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voters, many of whom are retired, prefer voting close to home, and that many may also value the

continuity of voting at the same location where they have voted in past elections.

Regardless of whether they voted--close to their home or at a polling place convenient to their

work or other destination--voters of all ages positively evaluated their voting experiences in both

the May and November 2019 elections. Voters reported that their polling locations were easy to

find and conveniently located, with ample parking. They found the poll workers at their voting

locations helpful and spent little to no time waiting to vote.

Going forward, we recommend that the County Clerk use voting histories from the 2019

elections and earlier to anticipate where and when voters are most likely to vote in the March

2020 primaries as well as early and on Election Day in the 2020 General Election. Specifically,

we suggest building a model to estimate the likelihood a person will vote as well as when and

where they are likely to choose to cast their ballot in these upcoming elections. To facilitate this

effort, we propose that Rice University’s Center for Civic Leadership collaborate with the

County Clerk’s office in conducting this analysis.