Texas elections, 2013

2014 → ← 2012 Contents 1 2013 elections 1.1 Special elections 1.2 Elections by type 2 Voting in Texas 2.1 Important voting information 2.2 Voting absentee 2.3 Voting early 3 Elections Performance Index 4 See also 5 References

Texas election information for 2013 is listed below.

On the 2013 ballot
No regularly scheduled elections in Texas. Exceptions include special elections Find current election news and links here.
U.S. Senate	d
U.S. House	d
State Executives	d
State Senate	a
State House	d
Ballot measures	a
Click here for all November 5, 2013 Election Results

2013 elections

Special elections

Elections by type

• State Senate
• Ballot measures

See also: Texas state legislative special elections, 2013.

State Senate District 6
Mario Gallegos (D) died of liver failure in October 2012. However, he ran for re-election and his name remained on the ballot. He was re-elected on November 6, 2012, triggering a special election to fill the seat. The special election was held January 26, 2013. With eight candidates, it looked likely that a runoff for the top-two vote getters would be necessary, and indeed that is what happened. Democrats Sylvia Garcia and Carol Alvarado met in a runoff on March 2, which Garcia won.

Related: See election results here.

See also: Texas 2013 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description
LRCA	Texas Political Subdivision for Aircraft Tax Exemption Amendment	Taxes	Grants authority to politically subdivide the state to increase the number of days that ad valorem tax-exempt aircraft parts may be located in the state for the purpose of qualifying these parts for the exemption.
LRCA	Texas Repeal of Hidalgo County Hospital District Amendment	Health care	Repeals the constitutional provision that authorizes the creation of a hospital district in Hidalgo County.
LRCA	Texas Disabled Veteran Residence Tax Exemption Amendment	Taxes	Grants legislature authorization to provide ad valorem tax exemptions to partially disabled veterans or their surviving spouses on part of the market value of their residences if they were donated to veteran by a charity.
LRCA	Texas Rainy Day Fund Amendment	State and local government budgets, spending and finance	Permits approximately $5.7 of the $8 billion to be withdrawn from Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF) to fund water infrastructure, transportation and education.
LRCA	Texas State Medical Education Board and State Medical Education Fund Elimination Amendment	Administration of government	Implements a constitutional amendment eliminating an obsolete requirement for a State Medical Education Board and a State Medical Education Fund.
LRCA	Texas Home Rule Charter Provision Amendment	County and municipal governance	Authorizes a home-rule municipality to provide in its charter the procedure to fill a vacancy on its governing body for which the unexpired term is 12 months or less.
LRCA	Texas Reverse Mortgage Loan Amendment	Housing	Authorizes the making of a reverse mortgage loan for the purchase of a home and to amend certain requirements regarding a reverse mortgage loan.
LRCA	Texas Expanded Judicial Sanctions Amendment	State judiciary	Expands the types of sanctions that may be assessed against judges or justices following formal proceedings instituted by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
LRCA	Texas Tax Exemption on Residences of Service Members Killed in Action Amendment	Taxes	Provides ad valorem tax exemptions on all or part of the market value of residence to the surviving spouse of armed services member killed in action.

Related: 2013 ballot measures

Voting in Texas

See also: Voting in Texas

Important voting information

• Texas uses an open primary system, meaning voters are not required to declare a party preference when registering to vote.
• Registration must be completed 28 days prior to the election.
• As of June 2013, Texas is one of the 37 states that have not implemented online voter registration. Texas has a bill pending in the 2013 legislative session which would authorize online voter registration. The bill passed the Texas Senate on April 23, 2013. It now goes to the Texas House of Representatives for consideration.

Voting absentee

See also: Absentee voting by state

For information about eligibility, deadlines, military and overseas voting and updates to the voting laws in Texas, please visit our absentee voting by state page.

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.

Elections Performance Index

See also: Pew Charitable Trusts' Elections Performance Index

Texas ranked 23rd out of the 50 states and District of Columbia in the Pew Charitable Trusts' Elections Performance Index (EPI), based on the 2010 elections. The EPI examines election administration performance assigning an average percentage score based on 17 indicators of election performance. The indicators were chosen within the framework of determining the convenience and integrity of each of the three administrative phases of an election: registration, voting and counting. Texas received an overall score of 66%.

See also

• Statewide elections, 2013
• 2013 election dates
• Election result resources
• Voter guides
• State Blue Books
• Voting in Texas
• Absentee voting
• Early voting