2024 Texas primary election: What you need to know before voting
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the March 5 Texas primary election, from where to vote to what's on the ballot.
It's almost time for Texans to cast their ballots in the 2024 primary election, choosing candidates for president, U.S. Senate, the Texas Legislature and more.
This year's primary election will be held on Tuesday, March 5.
The last day to register to vote in the primary election was Feb. 5. You can check online to see if you are currently registered.
Early voting for the primary was held from Tuesday, Feb. 20, through Friday, March 1.
Here is everything you need to know about voting in the primary election, from polling locations to what you may see on your ballot.
What is a primary election?
Texas is an open primary state. That means voters don't register as members of a particular political party. Instead, eligible Texas voters can cast a ballot in either party's primary election, but not both. The same goes for a runoff election from a primary election.
At the polls, you'll have to choose whether you want to vote in the Democratic or Republican primary. Then you'll be selecting among members of your chosen primary when you cast your vote.
So, for example: If you choose to vote in the Republican primary election on March 5, you'll be able to choose which Republican candidate for president should be on the ballot in November, but you will not be able to choose which Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate should be in the running.
There will be no propositions on the March 5 ballot.
When and where you can vote
Registered and eligible Texas voters may vote at any early voting location located in the county in which they live.
Early voting locations were populated through the Vote Texas website two days before the first day of early voting. All voters had to do is plug in their information in order to find polling locations.
Early voting for the Texas primary election started on Tuesday, Feb. 20, and ran through Friday, March 1. During early voting, polling place hours varied at each location.
On Election Day, March 5, things work a little differently.
You will want to see if the county you live in participates in the Countywide Polling Place Program (CWPP). If your county does participate in CWPP, you can vote at any polling place in the county. If your county doesn't participate in CWPP, you can only vote at the polling place assigned to you on Election Day.
On Election Day, all polling places across Texas are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. As long as you get in line before 7 p.m., you will be able to vote.
If you submitted a ballot by mail, you can check its status using this tracker.
What you need to bring to vote
To vote in Texas, you need to have a form of identification when you go to cast your ballot at a polling location. Here is a list of acceptable forms of photo identification:
- Texas Driver 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 the person’s photograph
- U.S. Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph
- U.S. Passport (book or card)
If you don't have one of the forms of ID listed above and can't reasonably obtain one, you can bring one of the following in order to execute a "Reasonable Impediment Declaration":
- Copy or original of a government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate
- Copy of or original current utility bill
- Copy of or original bank statement
- Copy of or original government check
- Copy of or original paycheck
- Copy of 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 which establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document)
Reminder: cellphones are not allowed inside polling locations. Voters can, however, print a copy of their sample ballot and bring it with them to the polls.
What will be on the ballot?
Here's a look at some of the key races you may see on your ballot, depending on where you live and which primary you choose to vote in.
Federal races
President
President Joe Biden, a Democrat, is seeking a second term. Seven other Democrats are challenging the president in hopes of becoming this year's nominee.
Meanwhile, on the Republican ticket, former president Donald Trump is also hoping for a second term. Three other Republicans remain in the race, hoping to be chosen as the nominee instead.
Democratic candidates:
- Joe Biden (incumbent)
- Armando "Mando" Perez-Serrato
- Gabriel A. Cornejo
- Star Locke
- Cenk Uygur
- Frankie Lozda
- Marianne Williamson
- Dean Phillips
Republican candidates:
- Donald Trump
- Nikki Haley
- David Stuckenberg
- Ryan Binkley
RELATED: Donald Trump wins New Hampshire primary as rematch with Joe Biden appears increasingly likely
U.S. Senate
Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is seeking a third term. Two other Republicans are challenging him. Meanwhile, nine candidates are running for the Democratic ticket.
Republican candidates:
- Ted Cruz (incumbent)
- Rufus Lopez
- Holland "Redd" Gibson
Democratic candidates:
U.S. House of Representatives
District 10
(Bastrop, Fayette, Lee, Travis, Williamson counties)
- Michael McCaul (R - incumbent)
- Jared Lovelace (R)
- Keith McPhail (D)
- Theresa Boisseau (D)
District 11
(Llano, Mason counties)
- August Pfluger (R - incumbent)
District 17
(Williamson County)
- Pete Sessions (R - incumbent)
- Joseph Langone (R)
- Mark Lorenzen (D)
District 21
(Blanco, Gillespie, Hays, Travis counties)
- Chip Roy (R - incumbent)
- Kristin Hook (D)
District 27
(Bastrop, Caldwell counties)
- Michael Cloud (R - incumbent)
- Luis Espindola (R)
- Chris Mapp (R)
- Scott Mandel (R)
- Tanya Lloyd (D)
- Anthony Tristan (D)
District 31
(Burnet, Williamson counties)
- John Carter (R - incumbent)
- Mike Williams (R)
- Mack Latimer (R)
- John Carnan Anderson (R)
- William Abel (R)
- Abhiram Garapati (R)
- Stuart Whitlow (D)
- Rick Von Pfeil (D)
- Brian Walbridge (D)
District 35
(Hays, Travis counties)
- Greg Casar (D - incumbent)
- Michael Rodriguez (R)
- Dave Cuddy (R)
- Rod Lingsch (R)
- Brandon Craig Dunn (R)
- Steven Wright (R)
District 37
(Travis, Williamson counties)
- Lloyd Doggett (D - incumbent)
- Christopher "Chris" McNerney (D)
- Eduardo "Lalito" Romero (D)
- Jenny Garcia Sharon (R)
Statewide Texas races
Railroad Commissioner
- Christi Craddick (R - incumbent)
- Corey Howell (R)
- Christie Clark (R)
- Petra Reyes (R)
- James "Jim" Matlock (R)
- Bill Burch (D)
- Katherine Culbert (D)
Texas Supreme Court - Place 2
- Jimmy Blacklock (R - incumbent)
- Dasean Jones (D)
- Randy Sarosdy (D)
Texas Supreme Court - Place 4
- John Devine (R - incumbent)
- Brian Walker (R)
- Christine Vinh Weems (D)
Texas Supreme Court - Place 6
- Jane Bland (R - incumbent)
- Bonnie Lee Goldstein (D)
- Joe Pool (D)
State Board of Education - District 1
(Mason County)
- Gustavo Revles (D)
- Michael Stevens (R)
State Board of Education - District 10
(Travis, Williamson, Lee, Bastrop and Fayette counties)
- Tom Maynard (R - incumbent)
- Mary Bone (R)
- DC Caldwell (R)
- DC Caldwell (D)
- Raquel Saenz Ortiz (D)
Texas Legislature
Texas Senate – District 14
(Travis County)
- Sarah Eckhardt (D - incumbent)
Texas Senate – District 25
(Blanco, Hays, Travis counties)
- Donna Campbell (R - incumbent)
- Merrie Fox (D)
Texas House of Representatives - District 17
(Bastrop, Caldwell, Lee counties)
- Stan Gerdes (R)
- Tom Glass (R)
- Desiree Veneble (D)
Texas House of Representatives – District 19
(Blanco, Burnet, Gillespie, Travis counties)
- Ellen Troxclair (R - incumbent)
- Manny Campos (R)
- Kyle Biedermann (R)
- Zach Vance (D)
- Dwain Handley (D)
Texas House of Representatives – District 20
(Williamson County)
- Terry Wilson (R - incumbent)
- Elva Chapa (R)
- Stephen Wyman (D)
Texas House of Representatives – District 45
(Hays County)
- Erin Zwiener (D - incumbent)
- Chevo Pastrano (D)
- Tennyson Moreno (R)
Texas House of Representatives – District 46
(Travis County)
- Sheryl Cole (D - incumbent)
- Nikki Kosich (R)
Texas House of Representatives – District 47
(Travis County)
- Vikki Goodwin (D - incumbent)
- Scott Firsing (R)
Texas House of Representatives - District 48
(Travis County)
- Donna Howard (D - incumbent)
Texas House of Representatives – District 49
(Travis County)
- Gina Hinojosa (D - incumbent)
Texas House of Representatives – District 51
(Travis County)
- James Talarico (D - incumbent)
- Nathan Boynton (D)
Texas House of Representatives – District 52
(Williamson County)
- Caroline Harris Davila (R - incumbent)
- Jenni Birkholz (D)
- Angel Carroll (D)
Texas House of Representatives – District 53
(Llano, Mason counties)
- Hatch Smith (R)
- Westley Virdell (R)
- Joe Herrera (D)
Texas House of Representatives – District 73
(Hays County)
- Carrie Isaac (R - incumbent)
- Sally Duval (D)
Texas House of Representatives – District 85
(Fayette County)
- Stan Kizman (R - incumbent)
- Tim Greeson (R)
Texas House of Representatives – District 136
(Williamson County)
- John Bucy III (D - incumbent)
- Amin Salahuddin (R)
Local races
Travis County District Attorney
- José Garza (D - incumbent)
- Jeremy Sylestine (D)
Travis County Attorney
- Delia Garza (D - incumbent)
Travis County Sheriff
- Sally Hernandez (D - incumbent)
Williamson County Attorney
- Dee Hobbs (R - incumbent)
- Amy Lyn Lefkowitz (D)
Williamson County Sheriff
- Mike Gleason (D - incumbent)
- Matthew Lindemann (R)
Hays County Sheriff
- Alex Villalobos (D)
- Daniel Law (D)
- Anthony Hipolito Jr. (R)
How to get the latest election results
Be sure to bookmark kvue.com/elections in order to get live results once the polling sites around Central Texas close on Election Day. Follow along with the latest election stories at kvue.com/VoteTexas.
Download the KVUE mobile app to get election results straight to your phone.