The Grayson County Democratic Party advertised a candidate rally in Sherman for Sept. 14 and paired it with a call for volunteers to telephone voters and walk neighborhoods before the Nov. 3 general election, according to the party's events page and its organizing notice. Texas closes voter registration for that election on Oct. 5, a deadline that covers Cooke County residents as well, under the secretary of state's 2026 calendar.
Organizers set admission at $10 and offered free tickets to students and to anyone who needed one, the events listing shows. The promotional material does not establish which candidates attended.
The county's own canvass shows the ground the effort covers. Grayson County's official 2024 returns gave Donald Trump roughly 77 percent of the presidential vote and Kamala Harris about 22 percent, a margin better than three to one.
| Grayson County, 2024 presidential | Votes | Share |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| Donald Trump | 50,556 | 76.55% |
| Kamala Harris | 14,800 | 22.41% |
Early in-person voting for the Nov. 3 election runs Oct. 19 through Oct. 30, and applications for mail ballots must be received by Oct. 23, the secretary of state's calendar shows. Those dates apply to Cooke County voters on the same terms.
Cooke County turned out at a slightly higher rate than its Grayson neighbors two years ago, about 68 percent of registered voters against roughly 67 percent, the two counties' official summaries show.
The party points to a figure of its own. It reports more than 5,700 ballots cast in the county's 2026 Democratic primary, which it says is more than double its 2024 primary participation. Those counts come from the party rather than the county.
Source: Grayson County Democratic Party
The groundwork goes back nearly two years. Notes from the party's Nov. 21, 2024 meeting propose standing groups to watch county, state and national government, along with community outreach and cooperation with other organizations on rallies and issue-related activity.
About two-thirds of Grayson County's registered voters cast ballots in November 2024, county records show. In the 2022 governor's race, just under half did. Texas turnout ran higher in the presidential year than in the midterm as well, according to secretary of state tallies.
| Turnout of registered voters | Share |
| --- | ---: |
| Grayson County, Nov. 2022 | 48.93% |
| Grayson County, Nov. 2024 | 66.55% |
| Cooke County, Nov. 2024 | 67.95% |
| Texas, Nov. 2022 | 45.85% |
| Texas, Nov. 2024 | 61.15% |
Every presidential-year rate beat every midterm rate
Turnout as a share of registered voters.
Source: Grayson County and Cooke County official results; Texas secretary of state
When people vote has shifted too. The Census Bureau estimated that about 47 percent of 2022 voters nationwide cast ballots before Election Day, up from roughly 38 percent four years earlier.
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