Record number of Texans register to vote amid tight Senate race

A record number of Texas residents have registered to vote in the November midterm elections, according to state officials.

According to the secretary of state’s office, almost 15.7 million Texans were registered as of Monday, marking an 11 percent increase from the previous midterm elections, in 2014, Dallas News reported.

The figure is also a significant increase from the 15.2 million residents who were registered for the primary elections in March, when a record number of Democrats and Republicans cast ballots.

{mosads}The expectation for high turnout comes as Sen. Ted Cruz (R) is locked in a tight race with Rep. Beto O’Rourke, a rising Democratic star who is hoping to unseat the GOP incumbent on Nov. 6.

Texas hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate in decades, but several polls have pointed to a narrowing margin between the two candidates.

A recent poll from Emerson College found that Cruz holds a 5-point lead over O’Rourke. Forty-seven percent of likely voters said they support Cruz, while 42 percent backed O’Rourke. Eight percent said they were undecided.