Early voting starts Monday for the Republican and Democratic primary runoffs.
This election, every Texan will have races on their ballot.
Republicans and Democrats are still deciding their nominees for some major statewide offices in the May 26 primary runoff election — Attorney General, U.S. Senate, Lt. Gov. and more — because no candidate secured at least 50% of the vote in the March primary.
Read more: Top races to watch in the May 26 primary runoffs
The deadline to register to vote for the May 26 primary runoff was April 27.
Any registered voter can participate in the primary runoff, even if you’re not affiliated with a party, and even if you didn’t participate in the March 3 primary.can still participate in the primary runoff even if you’re not affiliated with a party, and even if you didn’t participate in the March 3 primary.
Remember, if you did vote in the March 3 primary, you’re only eligible to vote in the same party’s runoff election on May 26.
Here’s what you need to know to cast your ballot.
- The Elections Department has a new link to check your voter registration status and download a copy of your personal sample ballot. Print it out, mark it up and take it with you when you go to vote.
- Early voting runs Monday, May 18 through Friday, May 22. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day. Choose from any of these early voting locations or view locations by map.
- A longer list of election day voting locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26. Find an Election Day voting location near you using this map.
Read about all of the candidates in the San Antonio Report’s guide to the
Republican and Democratic runoff elections.
What’s on the May 26 primary runoff ballot?
Republicans have a hard-fought U.S. Senate primary between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton, which is blanketing the airwaves with attack ads. The winner will face Democrat James Talarico in an expensive November election.
There’s also a heated GOP primary runoff to replace Paxton as Attorney General, where the party is choosing between state Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Dripping Springs).
Republicans’ runoff ballot also includes candidates vying for a seat on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission and Texas Senate District 19.
The winners of all of those races will still have to face a Democrat in November — but in the case of statewide races, Republicans have won every office on the ballot for more than three decades, so the GOP primary is generally the main event.
Democrats have more to decide in local races: A Bexar County District Attorney runoff will determine the odds-on favorite to succeed retiring DA Joe Gonzales, and a Texas House race on the West Side will produce the likely replacement for retiring state Rep. Ray Lopez (D-San Antonio).
Bexar County Clerk Lucy Adame-Clark and District Clerk Gloria Martinez were both held below 50% by challengers in the March primary, and now face runoffs to hang onto their party’s nominations for November.
But in a year where some believe the whole state could be in play, Bexar County voters will also play a big role in choosing Democrats’ nominee to replace Paxton, and to take on Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in November.
The field is set for most of the congressional races in this area.
When U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-San Antonio) withdrew his reelection bid, it cancelled the GOP runoff in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, making Brandon Herrera the party’s nominee for November.
But in the new 35th Congressional District, which stretches southeast from San Antonio, both parties are still choosing their nominees for what’s expected to be one of the most closely watched races in the country this fall.
