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Texas elections, 2012
| Contents |
|---|
| 1 2012 Elections |
| 2 Eligibility to Vote |
| 2.1 Primary election |
| 2.2 General election |
| 3 Voting absentee |
| 3.1 Eligibility |
| 3.2 Deadlines |
| 3.3 Military and overseas voting |
| 4 Voting early |
| 5 See also |
| 6 References |
The state of Texas held elections in 2012. Below are the dates of note:
- Signature filing deadline: March 9, 2012
- Primary date: May 29, 2012
- General election date: November 6, 2012
| On the 2012 ballot | Click here for all November 6, 2012 Election Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senate (1 seat) | 
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Preview Article | |
| U.S. House (36 seats) |
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| State Executives (2 down-ballot seats) |
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Preview Article | |
| State Senate (31 seats) |
|
Preview Article | |
| State House (150 seats) |
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| Ballot measures (0 measures) | 
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N/A | |
2012 Elections
For election results in the 50 states, see our November 6, 2012 election results page
Elections by type
| U.S. Senate, Texas, General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Ted Cruz |
56.5% | 4,440,137 | |
| Democratic | Paul Sadler | 40.6% | 3,194,927 | |
| Libertarian | John Jay Myers | 2.1% | 162,354 | |
| Green | David B. Collins | 0.9% | 67,404 | |
| Total Votes | 7,864,822 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
| Members of the U.S. House from Texas -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 9 | 12 | |
| Republican Party | 23 | 24 | |
| Total | 32 | 36 | |
There were two state executive positions up for election.
- Texas Railroad Commission (2 seats)
| Texas Railroad Commissioner 2 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Christi Craddick |
56.2% | 4,336,499 | |
| Democratic | Dale Henry | 39.6% | 3,057,733 | |
| Libertarian | Vivekananda Wall | 2.2% | 173,001 | |
| Green | Chris Kennedy | 2% | 153,664 | |
| Total Votes | 7,720,897 | |||
| Election Results via Texas Secretary of State. | ||||
| Texas Railroad Commissioner 3 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Barry Smitherman Incumbent |
73.8% | 4,537,625 | |
| Libertarian | Jaime Perez | 18.3% | 1,127,074 | |
| Green | Josh Wendel | 7.9% | 486,485 | |
| Total Votes | 6,151,184 | |||
| Election Results via Texas Secretary of State. | ||||
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2012
Heading into the election, Republicans maintained partisan control in the state senate.
| Texas State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 12 | 12 | |
| Republican Party | 19 | 19 | |
| Total | 31 | 31 | |
Heading into the election, Republicans maintained partisan control in the state house.
| Texas House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 48 | 55 | |
| Republican Party | 100 | 95 | |
| Vacancy | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 150 | 150 | |
Eligibility to Vote
Primary election
- See also: Voting in the 2012 primary elections
Texas is one of 19 states to use an open primary system. If there are runoff elections, however, voters must stick with the same party they voted in for the first round of elections. Voters were required to register to vote in the primary by April 30, 2012, which is 29 days before the primary took place .[1] (Information about registering to vote)
General election
- See also: Voting in the 2012 general elections
The deadline to register to vote is 28 days prior to the election day, which in 2012 was October 9.[2]
Note: Some states have a voter registration deadline 30 days prior to the election, but because this may fall on a weekend and Columbus Day is on Monday, October 8th, have extended the deadline to October 9, 2012.
- Voter ID info
- Residency requirements: Resident of Texas and county in which registering [3]
- Same-day registration: None
Voting absentee
- See also: Absentee Voting
Eligibility
You are eligible to vote absentee in an election if you cannot make it to the polls on election day for one of the following reasons:
- going to be away from your county on election day and during early voting;
- sick or disabled;
- 65 years of age or older on election day; or
- confined in jail, but eligible to vote.
Deadlines
To vote absentee a request must be received no earlier than 30 days prior to the election and no later than close of business seven days prior to the election. The ballot must then be returned by close of polls on election day.
Military and overseas voting
For full details, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program here.
Voting early
- See also: Early voting
Texas is one of 33 states that has early voting with no specific requirements as to who can vote early. Early voting begins 17 days before an election and ends 4 days prior to election day. The average number of days prior to an election that voters can cast an early ballot is 21 days in states with a definitive starting date.
