HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Millions of Texans will head to the polls on Tuesday, but almost half of all registered voters in the Lone Star state have already cast their ballots.

After a much-criticized election in 2022, Harris County eliminated the election administrator position and returned the authority to the county clerk, Teneshia Hudspeth. She said they are well prepared for Tuesday’s vote.

“It is going to be interesting. It is an important time in our country,” poll worker Garfield Teixeira said.

Teixeria has served on the front lines in more ways than one.

First, she served in the army for 22 years, but now, she’s on the front lines of democracy.

“We’re like Santa’s helpers. We’re like elves,” Teixeira said.

To Teixeira, a polling center is one of Santa’s many workshops.

She’s been helping out in Brazoria County during early voting.

“Friday, we had a lot of first-time voters. We welcomed them, and we tell them we should have a bell. Like, when you buy a car, to ring, to acknowledge them,” Teixeira said.

So far, 8.9 million Texans have voted early, including in-person and mail-in ballots. That’s about 47% of the 18.6 million registered voters.

It is less than the vote percentage in 2020, about 57%, but due to the pandemic, we had an extra week of early voting.

“The turnout has been tremendous,” Teixeira said.

Scrutiny of the election process has grown more intense, increasing the pressure on poll workers to perform flawlessly.

“I always pull up my information and refresh myself because… from one election to another. That is a big span of time,” Shaikil Grisham, who worked as a poll worker before moving to Texas, said.

Election monitors are tools used by the Department of Justice to keep an eye on any violations.

On Friday, top Texas election officials informed the DOJ that election monitors are not allowed in Texas polling places.

The agency had originally announced plans to dispatch machines to eight Texas counties.

The Texas secretary of state will send monitors to Harris County. The County welcomes those monitors as it has in previous elections.

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