AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Today, Texas Secretary of State Carlos H. Cascos announced Texas has more than 15 million registered voters, an all-time high number for the state.

“If you want to vote you must be registered, so it’s good to see that so many Texans are preparing for this November’s election,” said Cascos.

As of this morning, the number of registered voters is 15,015,700. This is about 78 percent of Texas’ estimated voting age population of 19,307,355. Voting age population estimates include Texans who may not be eligible to vote such as non-citizens or convicted felons who have not yet fully discharged their sentence.

The last day to register in time for the November 8 Election was October 11. Today’s number represents a preliminary estimate of the number of voters who will be registered for the election. The number will likely increase a bit as last-minute applications continue to be processed during the next few days.

In the last presidential election year, Texas had 13,646,226 registered voters or 75 percent of voting age population. In 2008, the number was 13,575,062 or roughly 77 percent of the voting age population.

More recently, ahead of the 2016 primaries in March, Texas had 14,238,436 or 74 percent of estimated voting age population.

Following the registration deadline, Secretary Cascos will continue to emphasize what registered Texans will need to do to cast a ballot.

“Registration is just the first step,” said Secretary Cascos. “I encourage Texans to prepare now for this fall’s election.”

The last day to request a ballot by mail is Oct. 28. Early voting in person begins Oct. 24 and runs through November 4. On Election Day, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information, voters can visit VoteTexas.gov or call 1-800-252-VOTE.