Early voting begins Monday in Texas, with races for top county and state officials on the Republican and Democratic primary tickets. Voters can expect to see several new faces in office, and the March 1 primary marks the first round of voting.
In Tarrant County, three lawmakers are not seeking reelection to the Texas Legislature, and there are open seats for Tarrant County judge and criminal district attorney. Heated statewide races, including for governor, round out the ballot in a midterm year. This is the first statewide voting subject to a new election law that drew national attention.
Texas Secretary of State John Scott encourages people to vote during the early voting period, which runs through Feb. 25.
“I urge everyone who can to take advantage of the convenience of the early voting period to avoid crowds on Election Day,” he said in a statement. “It’s also easy to remember — you can get out and vote early starting on Valentine’s Day!”
Texas has open primaries, which means you don’t need to register with a particular political party to participate. Voters can cast ballots in the Republican or Democratic primary, but not both.
In Texas, primaries are often where elections are decided, said Grace Chimene, president of President of the League of Women Voters of Texas, a nonpartisan organization. She encouraged as many people as possible to get out and vote.
“They have somebody running against them in the primary but not in the general election, or whatever district they have been put in is skewed toward one party or the other,” Chimene said.
TEXAS, TARRANT COUNTY RACES TO WATCH
Statewide, the most-closely watched races are perhaps for governor and attorney general. Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, is seeking a third term, but faces opposition from the left and right. In his party’s primary, Abbott has drawn seven challengers, including former Texas GOP Chairman Allen West, who previously represented Flordia in Congress, and former Texas Sen. Don Huffines, who represented the Dallas area from 2015-2019. Former El Paso Congressman Beto O’Rourke is the front-runner in the Democratic primary. Voters will choose between him and three other candidates on March 1.
In Tarrant County, a number of legislators and county officials aren’t seeking reelection. There are three open legislative districts. Sen. Jane Nelson, a Republican who’s been in office for nearly three decades, is not seeking reelection, creating an open seat in Senate District 12. Incumbents Matt Krause and Jeff Cason are also not seeking reelection — Krause is running for Tarrant County district attorney.
The race for House District 91 will be all but decided in the primary. Republican Rep. Stephanie Klick drew four opponents in her party’s primary, and there isn’t a Democrat running for the seat.
District Attorney Sharon Wilson announced in November she wasn’t running, and six candidates have filed to replace her. County Judge Glen Whitley is also retiring. Republican candidates vying to serve as the county’s top-ranking elected official include former Fort Worth mayor Betsy Price and Tim O’Hare, former mayor of Farmers Branch and a former Tarrant County GOP chair. Running on the Democratic side are Deborah Peoples, former Fort Worth mayoral candidate and former chair of the Tarrant County Democratic Party, and Marvin Sutton, a former Arlington city council member.
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