JACKSONVILLE — A surprisingly high number of voters have taken to the polls during the early voting period of the July 31 runoff election, according to election officials.

Tuesday is the general election day and all polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“It's a big shock to me,” said Shannon Cornelius, Cherokee County elections administrator. “I've been doing elections since 2006 and this is the busiest runoff election that I've worked in a while.”

Cornelius said she thinks the race for State Representative between incumbent Chuck Hopson, R-Jacksonville, and lawyer Travis Clardy, R-Nacogdoches, has spurred the heavy turnout. The district includes Cherokee, Nacogdoches and Rusk Counties.

The total of  Republicans voting in Cherokee County from Monday through Thursday came to 2,427.

Cornelius said that is a very high turnout in four days, considering a total of 6,411 voters cast ballots during the entire primary election, which included two weeks of early voting with Saturday hours and election day.

Karen Butler, assistant to the elections administrator in Nacogdoches County, said the office has been busy as well.

Through Thursday, a total of 2,393 Republican voters have submitted ballots in the county. A total of 8,589 voters participated in the primary election in Nacogdoches County.

“This was very unexpected as far as we are concerned, when you look at historically what happens in a runoff election,”she said.

“It's a very good turnout, Butler said. “As of (Thursday) we had a 8.3 percent turnout in 4 days of early voting. That's real good, especially for a runoff.”

Kathie Wittner, elections administrator for Rusk County, said with a highly contested Rusk County sheriff's race on the ballot and the State representative race, she is not sure what is bringing in voters, she is just happy they are coming to the polls.

Through Thursday, a total of 2,333 voters have cast ballots, and in the county a total of 6,932 voters participated in the primary election.

“It has been strong everyday we have had right at 400 (ballots) day this week,” she said.

Election administrators said early voting is generally heaviest on the final day.

Voters may vote in the Republican or Democrat primary, but are not allowed by state law to vote in both.

“Some states do let you vote in both primaries, but in Texas that is the whole point of a primary is to pick the candidates that you want to represent you in the November election in that party,” Connie Quine, Cherokee County chief deputy registrar for the Cherokee County Elections Department, said in May.

Voters who cast ballots in one of the major party primary elections on May 29 will only be eligible to vote in the runoff election of the same party in which they cast their primary ballot. Voters who did not cast a ballot in primary elections are free to choose either party’s runoff ballot, but may only vote in one party’s runoff election.

Each party has a different set of candidates to choose from, and polling places for Democrats and Republicans will be slightly different, with the Democrats consolidating polling places.

On Tuesday, Cornelius said Cherokee County early voting results will be posted on the county's election website after 7 p.m.  

The following candidates will be on the Republican Ballot:

State Rep. District 11

Incumbent Chuck Hopson, R-Jacksonville; Travis Clardy, R-Nacogdoches

Texas State Railroad Commission

Christi Craddick, R-Austin; Warren Chisum, R-Pampa

The Republican winner of the July 31 runoff will face Democrat opponent Dale Henry, D-Lampasas, in November's general election.

Cherokee County Precinct 3 Commissioner

Incumbent Katherine Pinotti; Patrick Reagan

U.S. Senate

David Dewhurst, R-Austin; Ted Cruz, R-Houston

The following candidate will be on the Democrat Ballot:

U.S. Representative District 5

Linda Mrosko, D-Mabank; Tom Berry, D-Dallas

The Democratic winner of the July 31 runoff will face Republican Incumbent Jeb Hensarling, R-Dallas in November's general election.

U.S. Senate

Paul Sadler, D-Henderson; Grady Yarbrough, D-San Antonio