Texas elections, 2021
| 2021 Elections | |
|---|---|
| Choose your state: | |
This page is an overview of the 2021 Texas elections, including the offices on the ballot covered by Ballotpedia, election dates, and frequently asked questions.
Contents
Offices on the ballot
Below is a list of Texas elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2021. Click the links to learn more about each type:
| U.S. Senate | — |
| U.S. House | — |
| Congress special election | ✓ |
| Governor | — |
| Other state executive | — |
| State Senate | — |
| State House | — |
| Special state legislative | ✓ |
| State Supreme Court | — |
| Intermediate appellate courts | — |
| Local judges | — |
| School boards | ✓ |
| Municipal government | ✓ |
| Recalls | — |
| Ballot measures | — |
| Local ballot measures | ✓ |
Legend: ✓ election(s) / — no elections
Subject to Ballotpedia's scope
Election dates
Statewide election dates in Texas are listed below. For more dates, please see the elections calendar.
Statewide election dates
There are no statewide elections in Texas this year. See the Ballotpedia calendar page for more election dates.
Polling hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.[1]
Local election dates
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive ballot coverage of municipal elections in the nation's 100 largest cities by population, including races for trial court judgeships and county offices that overlap them. Ballotpedia also covers the nation's 200 largest public school districts by student enrollment and all school districts overlapping the top 100 cities by population.
Frequently asked questions
When are the polls open?
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.[1]
See State Poll Opening and Closing Times (2021) for more information
Where can I find election results?
Election results are posted on Ballotpedia's election overview pages, as well as the relevant candidate pages. You can find links to the current election overview pages in the "Offices on the ballot" section of this page.
How do primaries work in Texas?
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Texas utilizes an open primary system. Voters do not have to register with a party in advance in order to participate in that party's primary. The voter must sign a pledge stating the following (the language below is taken directly from state statutes):[2][3]
| “ | The following pledge shall be placed on the primary election ballot above the listing of candidates' names: 'I am a (insert appropriate political party) and understand that I am ineligible to vote or participate in another political party's primary election or convention during this voting year.'[4] | ” |
How do I register to vote?
To register to vote in Texas, an applicant must be a United States citizen, a resident of the county in which he or she is registering, and at least 17 years and 10 months old.[5]
The deadline to register to vote is 30 days before the election. Prospective voters can request a postage-paid voter registration form online or complete the form online and return it to the county voter registrar. Applications are also available at a variety of locations including the county voter registrar’s office, the secretary of state’s office, libraries, and high schools. Voter registration certificates are mailed to newly registered voters.[6]
Is there an early voting period?
- See also: Early voting
Texas permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
As of April 2021, 38 states and the District of Columbia permitted early voting. Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on election day. States that do not permit early voting still permit some or all citizens to vote early by mail—often known as absentee voting. Some states allow no-excuse absentee voting, while others require an excuse. States that allow in-person absentee voting without an excuse are counted among early voting states. Click here for early voting laws by state.[7]
Who is eligible for absentee voting?
- See also: Absentee voting
Texas voters are eligible to vote absentee in an election if:
- They cannot make it to the polls on Election Day because they will be away from the county on Election Day and during early voting;
- They are sick or disabled;
- They are 65 years of age or older; or
- They are confined in jail.[8]
To vote absentee, a request must be received by county election officials no later than close of regular business on the eleventh day before the election. The completed ballot must then be returned by the close of polls on Election Day.[9]
What are the voter ID laws in Texas?
See Voter identification laws by state.
How do I file to run for office?
See Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Texas for information on how to run for state or federal office.
What does Ballotpedia cover?
Ballotpedia's coverage extends to all elections on the federal level, all gubernatorial, state legislative, statewide ballot measure, and statewide judicial elections, as well as many other types of state executive offices. Local elections coverage includes comprehensive ballot coverage for municipal and judicial elections in the top 100 cities by population and races for the large counties that overlap them. It also includes school board elections in the top 200 largest school districts by enrollment, all California local ballot measures, and notable local ballot measures from across the nation. Ballotpedia covers elections in the U.S. territories but not elections in other countries.
How do I contact Ballotpedia with a question?
Email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Vote Texas, "When to Vote", accessed November 19, 2019
- ↑ Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 2, 2014
- ↑ Texas Statutes, "Section 172.086," accessed February 5, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, “Request for Voter Registration Applications,” accessed October 6, 2019
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, “Texas Voting,” accessed October 6, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Laws Governing Early Voting," August 2, 2019
- ↑ VoteTexas.gov, "FAQ," accessed December 16, 2013
- ↑ VoteTexas.gov, "Early Voting," accessed December 16, 2013
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