What To Bring To The Polls
VoteTexas.gov has everything you need to know about what to bring to vote in person. One of seven forms of ID will get you into a voting booth:
- Texas driver’s license
- Texas election identification certificate issued by the Department of Public Safety
- Texas personal ID card issued by DPS
- Texas handgun license issued by DPS
- U.S. military ID card containing your photograph
- U.S. citizenship certificate containing your photograph
- U.S. passport, book or card
» What if your ID is expired?
That’s OK, to a degree.
- For voters age 18-69: Except for the U.S. citizenship certificate, which doesn’t expire, the ID you bring to the polls must have expired no more than four years before.
- For voters 70 and older: You can use one of the seven forms of ID to vote, regardless of how long it’s been expired, as long as it’s otherwise valid.
» What if you don’t have one of the seven acceptable forms of voter ID?
The state lists other forms of identification, like a utility bill or birth certificate, that you can use to vote if you don’t “possess an acceptable form of photo identification, and cannot reasonably obtain one.”
In addition to presenting that secondary form of ID, you’ll also need to fill out a “Reasonable Impediment Declaration” form.
» What if you’re a voter with special needs?
A person of your choice or an election worker can assist you at the polls but the person cannot be your employer or someone who represents your employer, or an officer or representative of your union.
State Political Party Revenue
State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws.
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following map displays total state political party revenue per capita for the Republican state party affiliates.
Us Senate Race: Incumbent Sen Cornyn Faces Gop Challengers Runoff Expected Among Crowded Dem Field
12 democrats are vying for the nomination to unseat incumbent Texas Senator John Cornyn.
A runoff is likely on the Democratic side, however, even with four challengers, Cornyn is expected to easily gain his party’s nomination.
The democrats are trying to generate the magic and hype Beto O’Rourke did during his unsuccessful bid to unseat Ted Cruz in 2018.
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Important Election Dates 2021
May 1, 2021 – Uniform Election Date| Deadline to post candidate requirements5Form 1-15 | Friday, May 1, 2020 |
| Deadline to post notice of candidate filing deadline1 | Monday, December 14, 2020 for local political subdivisions that have a first day to file for their candidates1 |
| First day to apply for a ballot by mail using Application for a Ballot by Mail or Federal Post Card Application . | Friday, January 1, 2021**First day to file does not move because of New Years Day holiday. An Annual ABBM or FPCA for a January or February 2021 election may be filed earlier, but not earlier than the 60th day before the date of the January or February election. |
| First Day to File for Place on General Election or Special Election Ballot 1 | Wednesday, January 13, 2021 |
| Last Day to File for Place on General Election Ballot 2 | Friday, February 12, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. See note below relating to four-year terms 3 |
| Last Day to Order General Election or Special Election on a Measure | Friday, February 12, 2021 |
| Last Day to Register to Vote | Thursday, April 1, 2021 |
| First Day of Early Voting By Personal Appearance | Monday, April 19, 2021 |
| Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail | Tuesday, April 20, 2021 |
| Last Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance | Tuesday, April 27, 2021 |
| Last day to Receive Ballot by Mail | Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. OR Monday, May 3, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. if carrier envelope is postmarked by 7:00 p.m. at the location of the election on Election Day |
Note: Please Note That Information On This Page Is Subject To Change As A Result Of Legislation Or Court Order
Candidates seeking the nomination of the Democratic or Republican Party must file a candidate application, and a filing fee or petition in lieu of filing fee. Please note, the application along with the filing fee or petition in lieu of filling fee must be filed at the same time with the proper filing authority.
- Filing Period
- The application must be filed between . .
- Candidate Application
- In order to become the Republican or Democratic Party nominee for a particular office, you must file an application for a place on the ballot with the county or state party chair, as appropriate . .
- Candidates for federal office must file a federal application .
- Filing Fee or Petition in Lieu of Filing Fee
- The application for a place on the primary ballot must be accompanied by either a filing fee or a petition in lieu of filing fee signed by a certain number of qualified voters.
- For details on the filing fee amount or number of petition signatures needed, see chart below.
- Judicial Candidate Petitions
- Certain judicial candidates in Bexar, Dallas, Harris, Tarrant and Travis must file additional petitions .
- Certain statewide judicial candidates must also file additional petitions using the Statewide Judicial Office on Primary Ballot petition form
See our FAQs on Party Affiliation and Candidacy for more details about how primary voting or candidacy affects candidacy in the general election.
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So How Does That Compare
Voters who live in states with closed primaries are required to register with a political party in order to vote in that partys primary. If you wanted to vote in the Republican primary in New York, you have to register as a Republican. Oftentimes, third-party voters are locked out of the Republican and Democratic primaries. But some states, like Oklahoma, are a bit of a hybrid and let independent voters choose which primaries they want to participate in.
Important 2022 Election Dates
| Last Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance | Friday, November 4, 2022 |
| Last day to Receive Ballot by Mail | Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. if carrier envelope is not postmarked, OR Wednesday, November 9, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. if carrier envelope is postmarked by 7:00 p.m. at the location of the election on Election Day 4 |
1 Section 2051.152 of the Government Code requires all political subdivisions with the authority to impose a tax maintain a publically accessible Internet website and post the date and location of the next election for officers of the political subdivision and the requirements and deadline for filing for candidacy of each elected office of the political subdivision, which shall be continuously posted for at least one year before the election day for the office.
2 Filing deadlines: generally, the filing deadline is the 78th day prior to Election Day. The Code may provide a different special election filing deadline. See Section 201.054 of the Texas Election Code . Write-in deadlines for general and special elections vary the deadline for most local special elections is now the same day as the filing deadline for application for a place on the ballot in a May election or November election.
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Texas House Of Representatives
District 119
George Garza : The Marine veteran will focus on 50-50 parenting arrangements after parents are divorced, which he says particularly benefits noncustodial parents who fall on financial hard times. He feels the city should do more to help small businesses impacted by COVID-19 shutdowns.
Elizabeth “Liz” Campos : She plans to focus on an array of issues, including homelessness and lower property taxes. She supports the citys upcoming propositions, which include funding for workforce training post-COVID-19.
Antonio Padron : He is running an entirely grassroots-funded campaign and is in favor of legalizing marijuana, investing in public education and transportation and expanding Medicare and Medicaid.
Arthur Thomas IV : He has run in multiple state legislature and congressional races over the past decade, last losing to Henry Cuellar in District 28 in 2018.
Analysis: The Democratic stronghold covers east and southeast San Antonio, including communities near China Grove, Converse and Schertz. The seat is vacated by Democrat and former San Antonio City Councilman Roland Gutierrez, who is running for Texas Senate.
| Related: Candidate Forum: Liz Campos, George Garza Vie To Represent Texas House District 119 |
District 121
State Board Of Education
Lani Popp : She is a speech language pathologist in the Northside Independent School District.
Rebecca Bell-Metereau : She is an English professor at Texas State University.
Stephanie Berlin : She serves as the secretary of the Texas Libertarian Party, a position she has held since August of 2020.
Analysis: The State Board of Education is responsible for setting curriculum standards and selecting textbooks for Texas public schools. It also oversees the Texas Permanent School Fund and approves applications for new charter schools. The State Board of Education seat represents the Hill Country, northern Bexar County, and southern Travis County. It is open for the first time in 16 years.
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What’s On My Ballot Sample Ballots
Key races from federal, district, state and counties will be listed below. It is not a comprehensive list of all races and not all races will appear on all ballots. The comprehensive list of all races will be added and linked from this page in mid-October. To see sample ballots for your specific county, you’ll need to visit your county election webpage .
County Election Pages: Anderson, Bosque, Comanche, Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Freestone, Hamilton, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Hunt, Jack, Johnson, Kaufman, Lamar, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rains, Red River, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, Van Zandt, Wise
Presidential Primary: Texans Will Help Decide The Democratic Party Nominee On March 3
Texas has 262 delegates up for grabs during the March 3 primary. The second most of any state voting on Super Tuesday.
The top-tier democratic nominees are on the Texas primary ballot including Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg.
Texas is one of the first states former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg will appear.
In all 18 names are on the democratic ballot, though several candidates dropped out after qualifying to be on the ballot including Andrew Yang, Deval Patrick, Julián Castro and Kamala Harris.
The last poll before Texans vote show Biden and Sanders tied across the Lone Star state. Despite a huge media showing in the state for several months, Bloomberg came in third with 17%.
In Texas, delegates are awarded to candidates who get at least 15% of the vote both statewide and in each of the state Senate districts.
RELATED: How will Texas award its 228 delegates on Super Tuesday?
Six republicans are challenging President Donald Trump to a second term in office. Though President Trump is expected to easily capture enough votes to be named the republican nominee for president.
Interestingly, a father and son are on the ballot for president. California entrepreneur Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente appears on the Democratic primary. He is the son of Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente Guerra who is running in the Republican primary.
The elder De La Fuenta also ran for president in 2016.
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What Identification Do I Need To Vote
You must present one of the following forms of photo ID when voting in person:
- Texas driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
- Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
- Texas personal identification card issued by DPS
- Texas Handgun License issued by DPS
- A United States Military Identification card containing the persons photograph
- A United States Citizenship Certificate containing the persons photograph
- A United States Passport
Here Are The 10 Primary Ballot Propositions:
Keep in mind that this is an opinion poll of Republican voters and not a policy referendum. You are not voting to make a law but merely saying YES you agree or NO you do not agree with the statement. Results for each proposition are below.
1.) Texas should not restrict or prohibit prayer in public schools.
Yes 88.61%
2.) Texas should reject restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms.
Yes 85.38%
No 14.62%
3.)Texas should ban the practice of taxpayer-funded lobbying, which allows your tax dollars to be spent on lobbyists who work against the taxpayer.
Yes 94.29%
No 5.71%
4.) Texas should support the construction of a physical barrier and use existing defense-grade surveillance equipment along the entire southern border of Texas.
Yes 93.86%
No 6.14%
5.) Texas parents or legal guardians of public school children under the age of 18 should be the sole decision makers for all their childrens healthcare decisions including, but not limited to, psychological assessment and treatment, contraception, and sex education.
Yes 90.55%
No 9.45%
6.) Texas should ban chemical castration, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and genital mutilation surgery on all minor children for transition purposes, given that Texas children as young as three are being transitioned from their biological sex to the opposite sex.
Yes 94.57%
No 5.43%
Yes 97.3%
No 2.7%
Yes 98.36%
No 1.64%
Yes 94.99%
10.)Texas should limit our state legislators terms to 12 years.
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National Conference Of State Legislatures Report 2018
On February 14, 2018, the National Conference of State Legislatures released a report on the costs of election administration in the states: “The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections.” The report’s authors noted that “no one knows how much spend on elections … good research on election costs is slim.” Generally, local units of government are primarily responsible for election administration costs, though states and the federal government may also contribute. The report identified the states listed in the table below as assuming financial responsibility for at least some aspects of election administration.
To access the complete NCSL report, click here.
| Election administration costs assumed by state | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State pays all expenses for federal or state elections | State bears a portion of election costs | State pays for statewide special elections or statewide elections that dont coincide with regularly scheduled elections | State pays for primary elections |
| Alaska |
Your Vote Will Make A Difference
Your vote will help to elect pro-life public officials who will support public policies that will protect innocent human life from conception through natural death. Use this pro-life voter guide to find out who the strong pro-life candidates are on your ballot. Our pro-life voter guide will build a custom list just for you!
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Context Of The 2020 Elections
Texas Party Control: 1992-2021Three years of Democratic trifectas Nineteen years of Republican trifectasScroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year |
|---|
- See also: Republican Party of Texas
Texas has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governors office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. As of November 1, 2021, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 12 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.
In the 2020 election, Republicans had a net gain of two trifectas and two states under divided government became trifectas. Prior to that election, Texas had a Republican trifecta. There were 21 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 14 divided governments.
What Is A Poll Watcher
A poll watcher is a person appointed to observe the conduct of an election on behalf of a candidate, political party or the proponents or opponents of a particular measure. Their role in an election is established by Chapter 33 of the Texas Election Code and they must adhere to certain rules at polling locations.
The primary duty of a watcher is to observe the conduct of the election at the location where the watcher has been appointed. A watcher may point out to an election judge or clerk any observed irregularity or violation of the Texas Election Code. However, if the clerk refers the watcher to the judge, the watcher may not discuss the matter further with the clerk unless the presiding judge invites the discussion.
The Texas Poll Watchers Guide can be found here.
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Orange County: Voters Will Elect A New Sheriff County Judge And District Judge
Orange County will soon have a new sheriff in town.
Current Sheriff Keith Merritt announced he is not seeking re-election in 2020 opening to door for a new sheriff after more than a decade.
Sheriff Merritt was elected in 2009.
Two republicans are vying to replace Merritt Rob Strause and Jimmy Lane Mooney.
No democrat is running in the party primary, meaning whoever wins the republican primary will be the next sheriff of Orange County.
