Reminders for March 2026 primary elections

Millions of Texas voters are expected to vote in the March 3 primary elections.  Voters will choose which candidates will represent the Democratic and Republican parties on the ballot in November’s general election.

Early voting runs from Tuesday, Feb. 17, through Friday, Feb. 27.  Election Day is Tuesday, March 3.  Texas is currently an open primary state, which means you don’t have to be a registered Democrat or Republican to vote in that party’s primary.

When you get to the polls, you’ll be asked which primary you’d like to vote in.  You can only vote in one party’s primary.  If no candidate in a race gets at least 50% of the vote, the race will advance to a runoff on May 26.  If you voted in the Democratic primary, you cannot vote in a Republican runoff, and vice versa.  If you don’t vote in the primary, you can choose which runoff to vote in.

Voters will choose which candidates they want to appear on the ballot in the general election for several statewide positions, including U.S. senator, governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

The U.S. Senate seat for Texas is the most highly contested in this year’s Republican Primary, and one of the state’s biggest showdowns in recent memory.  Four-term incumbent Sen. John Cornyn is defending his seat against three-term Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and two-term U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.  While all three candidates tied themselves tightly to Donald Trump and his record, the president said he is holding off on endorsing any of the candidates.

There are several other races for state office, including state senators and representatives, members of the State Board of Education, the Texas Supreme Court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the Texas Court of Appeals.  In addition, several local and county races will appear on the ballot.

Fourteen candidates crowd the primary race for Texas’ 21st Congressional District, which includes much of North San Antonio, some of Austin’s suburbs and parts of the Hill Country.  One candidate dropped out of the race, but his name, Kyle Sinclair, will still appear on the ballot.  Only two people have held Texas’ 21st Congressional District seat in the last 40 years.  Roy is the most recent, but he is not running for reelection as he eyes a run for attorney general on the statewide ballot.  Prior to Roy, Lamar Smith held the seat for more than 25 years.

Sample ballots are available on each county’s elections website.

Under Texas law, voters are required to bring identification with them to vote.  Under Texas law, you cannot use most wireless communication devices within 100 feet of a voting station, nor are you allowed to record sound or images in that space.  You are also not allowed to wear clothing, hats, flags, etc. that relates to a candidate currently on the ballot within 100 feet of the voting station.

For more information, visit Vote Texas.org.