The stakes are significant in the 2024 Texas primary election, but voters have been scarce.
Tuesday marks the final chance to cast a ballot in either the Democratic or Republican primary, with voting centers across Bexar County open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
But early voting turnout locally has lagged, especially among voters in the Democratic primary. With 1.2 million total registered voters in Bexar County, fewer than 8% have participated in the March 5 primary so far, not including mail-in ballots.
Locally, Republican primary voters have seemed more energized. Even though Republicans are vastly outnumbered in Bexar County, 54,124 early votes were cast in the GOP primary in 2024, compared to 43,953 in 2020, an increase of 23%, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
The state’s primaries are open, which means voters can choose to vote in either party’s primary — but not both. And if you vote in the Democratic primary, for example, you cannot vote in the Republican primary runoff election.
Primary winners will face off against each other and any third-party candidates in the Nov. 5 general election. If no primary candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers will advance to a May 28 runoff.
Texas is one of 15 “Super Tuesday” states — and the U.S. territory of American Samoa — holding primaries March 5.
Nationwide, all eyes will be on whether former President Donald Trump can sweep the GOP primaries. In Texas, the other key federal race is on the Democratic side as nine candidates, including San Antonio state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, are vying for the chance to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in November’s general election.
What else is on the ballot?
Plenty — Congressional primaries, a state Railroad Commission primary, State Board of Education nominees, and Texas House and Senate nominees. In county government, voters in Precincts 1 and 3 will choose nominees for Commissioners Court seats and all four precincts are electing county constables. Elections for Bexar County sheriff nominees also are on the ballot.
In addition, voters will decide nominees for places on the Texas Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals, 4th Court of Appeals and District Court.
Races for Bexar County political party chairs and precinct chairs are at the bottom of the ballot.
Click here to see a sample Democratic ballot and here to see a sample Republican ballot. To learn more about the candidates, visit the San Antonio Report’s primary voter guide.
Where can I vote?
Bexar County has roughly 280 voting centers. You may cast a ballot at any one of them.
To find a polling place close to your residence, go here and enter your birthday and house number. For a map of voting centers, click here.
VIA Metropolitan Transit offers free rides Tuesday to people going to a polling place. The service is available for regular buses, VIA Link and the VIAtrans paratransit service. VIAtrans rides need to be scheduled in advance.
When are the polls open?
Voting centers open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. If you are in line at 7 p.m. you should still be permitted to cast a ballot.
How do I know if I’m eligible to vote?
You are eligible to vote if you registered by the Feb. 5 deadline and are:
- a U.S. citizen.
- a resident of the county where you submit your voter registration application
- at least 18 years old on Election Day.
- not a convicted felon (you may be eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, probation and parole).
- not declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.
How can I determine if I’m registered to vote?
You can check your voter registration status here. You’ll need either:
- your Voter Unique Identifier, or VUID, and your date of birth,
- your Texas driver’s license number and date of birth, or
- your full name, county, date of birth and zip code.
What do I need to bring with me to vote?
You need to provide one of the following seven forms of identification:
- Texas driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
- Texas election identification certificate issued by DPS
- Texas personal identification card issued by DPS
- Texas handgun license issued by DPS
- U.S. military identification card containing your photograph
- U.S. citizenship certificate containing your photograph
- U.S. passport (book or card)
If you don’t have one of the seven forms of identification listed above and can’t reasonably get one, you can fill out a form declaring a “reasonable impediment” and provide one of these forms of ID:
- A copy or original of a government document that shows your name and an address, including your voter registration certificate
- A current utility bill
- A bank statement
- A government check
- A paycheck
- A copy or original of (a) a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law that establishes your identity, which may include a foreign birth document
If I’m registered to vote but haven’t received my voter registration card, can I still vote?
Yes. You aren’t required to show your registration certificate to vote in person. Just be sure to bring one of seven approved forms of photo ID for voting, and know what forms of ID you can bring if you don’t possess and can’t reasonably obtain one.
Is it too late to apply to vote by mail?
Yes. The deadline for Bexar County to receive applications to vote by mail was Feb. 23.
When is my mail ballot due?
For you mail-in ballot to be counted, it must be postmarked by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5. You can also deliver your signed ballot in person at the Bexar County Elections Department at 1103 S. Frio St.
