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Texas local trial court judicial elections, 2019
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Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of elections in America's 100 largest cities by population. This coverage extends to every office on the ballot for residents of these cities, including local trial court judges. In 2019, Ballotpedia covered the following local elections in this state:
- Arlington, Texas - Mayor and city council
- Dallas, Texas - Mayor and city council
- El Paso, Texas - City council (special election)
- Fort Worth, Texas - Mayor and city council
- Garland, Texas - Mayor and city council
- Houston, Texas - Mayor, controller, and city council
- Irving, Texas - City council
- Plano, Texas - City council
- San Antonio, Texas - Mayor and city council
- Bexar County, Texas - River authority
- Collin County, Texas - Community college board
- El Paso County, Texas - Community college board
- Harris County, Texas - Community college board
- Tarrant County, Texas - County college board and water district
- Travis County, Texas - Library district board
If the above list includes local trial court judgeships, click the links for more information about the elections. Click here to learn more about how the judges in this state are selected. Ballotpedia did not cover all local trial court judicial elections in this state in 2019. Please consider donating to Ballotpedia to help us expand our coverage of these elections.
Election rules
Primary election
Partisan primaries are held if even one candidate files for a position. To advance to the general election, a candidate must win a majority (over 50 percent) of the vote. If no candidate in a race wins the majority—as in cases where more than two candidates are competing for a seat—a runoff election is held between the top two candidates.[1][2]
Though Texas officially has closed primaries (requiring that voters declare party affiliation in advance in order to participate), the state's primaries are functionally open; any registered voter may vote in any single party's primary if he or she has not voted in the primary of another party. The elections are closed, however, in that voters may not participate in the proceedings (a runoff primary or a convention) of another party thereafter.[1]
General election
The winning candidates from each major party's primary, as well as any additional minor party candidates, compete in a general election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. If a candidate was unopposed in the general election, that candidate's name will still appear on the general election ballot.[1][3]
Judicial selection
Texas District Court
- See also: Partisan election of judges
The judges of the Texas District Courts are chosen in partisan elections. They serve four-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to continue serving.[4]
Though Texas is home to more than 400 district courts, the courts are grouped into nine administrative judicial regions. Each region is overseen by a presiding judge who is appointed by the governor to a four-year term. According to the state courts website, the presiding judge may be a "regular elected or retired district judge, a former judge with at least 12 years of service as a district judge, or a retired appellate judge with judicial experience on a district court."[5]
Qualifications
To serve on the district courts, a judge must be:
- a U.S. citizen;
- a resident of Texas;
- licensed to practice law in the state;
- between the ages of 25 and 75;*[6]
- a practicing lawyer and/or state judge for at least four years; and
- a resident of his or her respective judicial district for at least two years.[4]
*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.[4]
Texas County Court
- See also: Partisan election of judges
Judges of the county courts are elected in partisan elections by the county they serve and serve four-year terms, with vacancies filled by a vote of the county commissioners.[7]
Qualifications
To serve on a county court, a judge must:[7]
- be at least 25 years old;
- be a resident of his or her respective county for at least two years; and
- have practiced law or served as a judge for at least four years preceding the election.
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
One of 254 Texas counties—0.4 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Jefferson County, Texas | 0.48% | 1.61% | 2.25% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Texas with 52.2 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 43.2 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Texas cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 66.7 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Texas supported Democratic candidates slightly more often than Republicans, 53.3 to 46.7 percent. The state, however, favored Republicans in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Texas. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[8][9]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 54 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 37.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 65 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 36.4 points. Clinton won 10 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 96 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 36.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 85 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 34.5 points. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 26.82% | 72.17% | R+45.3 | 22.76% | 75.13% | R+52.4 | R |
| 2 | 20.93% | 77.91% | R+57 | 17.59% | 79.78% | R+62.2 | R |
| 3 | 22.26% | 76.65% | R+54.4 | 21.37% | 75.80% | R+54.4 | R |
| 4 | 25.04% | 73.93% | R+48.9 | 22.70% | 74.70% | R+52 | R |
| 5 | 23.75% | 75.33% | R+51.6 | 20.20% | 77.72% | R+57.5 | R |
| 6 | 28.44% | 70.49% | R+42 | 28.89% | 67.98% | R+39.1 | R |
| 7 | 27.14% | 71.97% | R+44.8 | 24.48% | 73.09% | R+48.6 | R |
| 8 | 24.96% | 74.07% | R+49.1 | 21.12% | 76.63% | R+55.5 | R |
| 9 | 27.47% | 71.73% | R+44.3 | 22.23% | 76.13% | R+53.9 | R |
| 10 | 25.56% | 73.21% | R+47.7 | 25.20% | 71.62% | R+46.4 | R |
| 11 | 26.75% | 72.23% | R+45.5 | 24.48% | 72.79% | R+48.3 | R |
| 12 | 36.06% | 62.67% | R+26.6 | 32.54% | 64.35% | R+31.8 | R |
| 13 | 22.71% | 76.25% | R+53.5 | 20.47% | 77.18% | R+56.7 | R |
| 14 | 34.77% | 62.91% | R+28.1 | 38.79% | 54.03% | R+15.2 | R |
| 15 | 21.79% | 76.77% | R+55 | 28.86% | 66.69% | R+37.8 | R |
| 16 | 18.22% | 80.76% | R+62.5 | 18.80% | 78.35% | R+59.5 | R |
| 17 | 37.30% | 60.79% | R+23.5 | 33.92% | 62.02% | R+28.1 | R |
| 18 | 27.18% | 71.69% | R+44.5 | 23.96% | 73.47% | R+49.5 | R |
| 19 | 22.22% | 76.79% | R+54.6 | 17.21% | 81.00% | R+63.8 | R |
| 20 | 26.22% | 72.13% | R+45.9 | 25.81% | 70.27% | R+44.5 | R |
| 21 | 23.92% | 74.97% | R+51.1 | 21.50% | 76.09% | R+54.6 | R |
| 22 | 66.82% | 32.57% | D+34.3 | 65.95% | 31.80% | D+34.1 | D |
| 23 | 44.24% | 54.56% | R+10.3 | 40.89% | 55.86% | R+15 | R |
| 24 | 25.11% | 73.48% | R+48.4 | 27.42% | 68.20% | R+40.8 | R |
| 25 | 28.74% | 69.92% | R+41.2 | 27.55% | 69.14% | R+41.6 | R |
| 26 | 35.86% | 62.95% | R+27.1 | 45.81% | 50.71% | R+4.9 | R |
| 27 | 68.80% | 30.44% | D+38.4 | 70.03% | 27.23% | D+42.8 | D |
| 28 | 34.81% | 64.22% | R+29.4 | 43.01% | 53.21% | R+10.2 | R |
| 29 | 35.44% | 63.32% | R+27.9 | 41.21% | 54.83% | R+13.6 | R |
| 30 | 30.24% | 68.64% | R+38.4 | 26.80% | 70.36% | R+43.6 | R |
| 31 | 61.89% | 37.31% | D+24.6 | 55.47% | 42.31% | D+13.2 | D |
| 32 | 41.43% | 56.92% | R+15.5 | 42.04% | 53.45% | R+11.4 | R |
| 33 | 26.49% | 72.25% | R+45.8 | 31.27% | 64.67% | R+33.4 | R |
| 34 | 54.64% | 44.24% | D+10.4 | 53.40% | 43.18% | D+10.2 | D |
| 35 | 66.43% | 32.71% | D+33.7 | 63.43% | 33.59% | D+29.8 | D |
| 36 | 74.73% | 24.41% | D+50.3 | 73.70% | 23.21% | D+50.5 | D |
| 37 | 69.28% | 29.75% | D+39.5 | 68.98% | 27.77% | D+41.2 | D |
| 38 | 66.13% | 32.95% | D+33.2 | 65.76% | 30.74% | D+35 | D |
| 39 | 74.02% | 25.10% | D+48.9 | 70.48% | 26.40% | D+44.1 | D |
| 40 | 75.32% | 23.68% | D+51.6 | 70.73% | 25.91% | D+44.8 | D |
| 41 | 56.64% | 42.35% | D+14.3 | 59.53% | 36.87% | D+22.7 | D |
| 42 | 75.54% | 23.57% | D+52 | 73.73% | 23.49% | D+50.2 | D |
| 43 | 46.96% | 52.09% | R+5.1 | 43.79% | 53.10% | R+9.3 | R |
| 44 | 30.83% | 67.97% | R+37.1 | 30.22% | 65.99% | R+35.8 | R |
| 45 | 41.83% | 55.19% | R+13.4 | 44.53% | 49.14% | R+4.6 | R |
| 46 | 76.62% | 20.14% | D+56.5 | 78.16% | 16.34% | D+61.8 | D |
| 47 | 39.32% | 58.05% | R+18.7 | 46.98% | 47.16% | R+0.2 | R |
| 48 | 56.86% | 39.56% | D+17.3 | 65.17% | 28.12% | D+37 | D |
| 49 | 70.19% | 24.89% | D+45.3 | 76.63% | 16.65% | D+60 | D |
| 50 | 57.79% | 38.81% | D+19 | 63.38% | 30.05% | D+33.3 | D |
| 51 | 78.49% | 17.43% | D+61.1 | 79.52% | 14.04% | D+65.5 | D |
| 52 | 42.57% | 54.91% | R+12.3 | 46.12% | 47.56% | R+1.4 | R |
| 53 | 22.29% | 76.50% | R+54.2 | 20.74% | 76.30% | R+55.6 | R |
| 54 | 45.85% | 53.04% | R+7.2 | 44.07% | 51.07% | R+7 | R |
| 55 | 33.08% | 65.48% | R+32.4 | 31.96% | 63.28% | R+31.3 | R |
| 56 | 29.70% | 69.02% | R+39.3 | 31.16% | 64.82% | R+33.7 | R |
| 57 | 25.97% | 73.09% | R+47.1 | 22.50% | 75.69% | R+53.2 | R |
| 58 | 21.12% | 77.52% | R+56.4 | 18.84% | 77.90% | R+59.1 | R |
| 59 | 21.36% | 77.31% | R+56 | 19.19% | 77.44% | R+58.2 | R |
| 60 | 15.70% | 83.09% | R+67.4 | 13.33% | 84.19% | R+70.9 | R |
| 61 | 16.19% | 82.54% | R+66.3 | 14.49% | 82.74% | R+68.3 | R |
| 62 | 24.72% | 73.77% | R+49.1 | 20.89% | 76.05% | R+55.2 | R |
| 63 | 26.39% | 72.13% | R+45.7 | 30.22% | 65.26% | R+35 | R |
| 64 | 37.33% | 60.30% | R+23 | 40.00% | 54.49% | R+14.5 | R |
| 65 | 40.84% | 57.52% | R+16.7 | 46.51% | 48.62% | R+2.1 | R |
| 66 | 37.46% | 61.15% | R+23.7 | 46.24% | 49.45% | R+3.2 | R |
| 67 | 37.26% | 61.08% | R+23.8 | 44.69% | 50.41% | R+5.7 | R |
| 68 | 17.78% | 81.15% | R+63.4 | 14.23% | 83.37% | R+69.1 | R |
| 69 | 23.27% | 75.20% | R+51.9 | 20.26% | 76.12% | R+55.9 | R |
| 70 | 29.25% | 69.37% | R+40.1 | 32.82% | 62.78% | R+30 | R |
| 71 | 22.84% | 75.76% | R+52.9 | 21.49% | 74.23% | R+52.7 | R |
| 72 | 23.33% | 75.26% | R+51.9 | 21.45% | 74.81% | R+53.4 | R |
| 73 | 20.22% | 78.37% | R+58.2 | 21.25% | 75.11% | R+53.9 | R |
| 74 | 56.99% | 41.57% | D+15.4 | 56.27% | 39.58% | D+16.7 | D |
| 75 | 72.33% | 26.62% | D+45.7 | 73.74% | 21.38% | D+52.4 | D |
| 76 | 76.91% | 21.86% | D+55.1 | 77.93% | 17.86% | D+60.1 | D |
| 77 | 64.07% | 34.29% | D+29.8 | 68.79% | 25.97% | D+42.8 | D |
| 78 | 54.41% | 44.15% | D+10.3 | 59.28% | 35.16% | D+24.1 | D |
| 79 | 64.73% | 34.12% | D+30.6 | 68.62% | 26.73% | D+41.9 | D |
| 80 | 68.25% | 30.91% | D+37.3 | 65.06% | 32.31% | D+32.7 | D |
| 81 | 24.20% | 74.66% | R+50.5 | 26.33% | 70.49% | R+44.2 | R |
| 82 | 19.38% | 79.31% | R+59.9 | 20.58% | 75.76% | R+55.2 | R |
| 83 | 21.27% | 77.50% | R+56.2 | 19.94% | 76.49% | R+56.5 | R |
| 84 | 34.95% | 63.28% | R+28.3 | 35.12% | 59.58% | R+24.5 | R |
| 85 | 37.99% | 61.03% | R+23 | 41.09% | 56.10% | R+15 | R |
| 86 | 16.18% | 82.55% | R+66.4 | 16.16% | 80.17% | R+64 | R |
| 87 | 22.12% | 76.56% | R+54.4 | 21.74% | 74.43% | R+52.7 | R |
| 88 | 19.06% | 79.89% | R+60.8 | 16.48% | 80.59% | R+64.1 | R |
| 89 | 31.79% | 66.67% | R+34.9 | 36.08% | 59.03% | R+23 | R |
| 90 | 73.70% | 25.21% | D+48.5 | 74.97% | 21.48% | D+53.5 | D |
| 91 | 30.45% | 67.90% | R+37.5 | 32.14% | 63.08% | R+30.9 | R |
| 92 | 37.22% | 61.08% | R+23.9 | 40.54% | 54.66% | R+14.1 | R |
| 93 | 38.26% | 60.21% | R+21.9 | 40.40% | 54.84% | R+14.4 | R |
| 94 | 38.10% | 60.29% | R+22.2 | 40.87% | 54.30% | R+13.4 | R |
| 95 | 76.11% | 22.99% | D+53.1 | 74.24% | 22.89% | D+51.4 | D |
| 96 | 40.22% | 58.60% | R+18.4 | 42.55% | 53.74% | R+11.2 | R |
| 97 | 38.92% | 59.59% | R+20.7 | 42.59% | 52.42% | R+9.8 | R |
| 98 | 23.57% | 75.01% | R+51.4 | 28.91% | 66.33% | R+37.4 | R |
| 99 | 30.70% | 67.69% | R+37 | 32.12% | 63.36% | R+31.2 | R |
| 100 | 77.89% | 21.07% | D+56.8 | 77.24% | 19.30% | D+57.9 | D |
| 101 | 64.01% | 34.87% | D+29.1 | 66.06% | 30.36% | D+35.7 | D |
| 102 | 45.32% | 53.02% | R+7.7 | 52.27% | 42.74% | D+9.5 | R |
| 103 | 69.87% | 28.77% | D+41.1 | 73.55% | 22.33% | D+51.2 | D |
| 104 | 72.70% | 26.36% | D+46.3 | 75.60% | 20.85% | D+54.7 | D |
| 105 | 46.48% | 52.14% | R+5.7 | 52.13% | 43.60% | D+8.5 | R |
| 106 | 30.86% | 67.69% | R+36.8 | 35.83% | 59.70% | R+23.9 | R |
| 107 | 46.89% | 51.83% | R+4.9 | 52.37% | 43.40% | D+9 | D |
| 108 | 39.31% | 58.99% | R+19.7 | 50.32% | 44.01% | D+6.3 | R |
| 109 | 81.75% | 17.68% | D+64.1 | 81.55% | 16.42% | D+65.1 | D |
| 110 | 88.74% | 10.77% | D+78 | 86.76% | 11.25% | D+75.5 | D |
| 111 | 77.24% | 22.06% | D+55.2 | 77.40% | 20.17% | D+57.2 | D |
| 112 | 43.50% | 55.03% | R+11.5 | 48.28% | 47.10% | D+1.2 | R |
| 113 | 46.31% | 52.53% | R+6.2 | 49.13% | 47.23% | D+1.9 | R |
| 114 | 43.48% | 55.23% | R+11.7 | 52.14% | 43.21% | D+8.9 | R |
| 115 | 43.23% | 55.27% | R+12 | 51.54% | 43.64% | D+7.9 | R |
| 116 | 60.53% | 37.80% | D+22.7 | 63.73% | 31.10% | D+32.6 | D |
| 117 | 51.99% | 46.85% | D+5.1 | 53.23% | 42.14% | D+11.1 | D |
| 118 | 55.33% | 43.41% | D+11.9 | 55.58% | 40.41% | D+15.2 | D |
| 119 | 60.26% | 38.58% | D+21.7 | 60.13% | 36.08% | D+24.1 | D |
| 120 | 64.75% | 34.11% | D+30.6 | 63.51% | 32.10% | D+31.4 | D |
| 121 | 37.61% | 60.88% | R+23.3 | 43.42% | 51.69% | R+8.3 | R |
| 122 | 30.87% | 67.87% | R+37 | 37.75% | 57.87% | R+20.1 | R |
| 123 | 61.36% | 36.80% | D+24.6 | 65.02% | 30.27% | D+34.7 | D |
| 124 | 60.94% | 37.65% | D+23.3 | 62.19% | 33.04% | D+29.1 | D |
| 125 | 59.11% | 39.59% | D+19.5 | 61.62% | 33.69% | D+27.9 | D |
| 126 | 36.72% | 62.08% | R+25.4 | 43.00% | 52.94% | R+9.9 | R |
| 127 | 29.60% | 69.21% | R+39.6 | 34.90% | 61.23% | R+26.3 | R |
| 128 | 26.59% | 72.37% | R+45.8 | 28.77% | 68.15% | R+39.4 | R |
| 129 | 33.88% | 64.47% | R+30.6 | 40.06% | 55.33% | R+15.3 | R |
| 130 | 22.81% | 75.91% | R+53.1 | 27.96% | 68.06% | R+40.1 | R |
| 131 | 83.65% | 15.69% | D+68 | 84.29% | 13.35% | D+70.9 | D |
| 132 | 39.77% | 58.92% | R+19.2 | 45.68% | 50.04% | R+4.4 | R |
| 133 | 30.41% | 68.14% | R+37.7 | 41.12% | 54.52% | R+13.4 | R |
| 134 | 41.74% | 56.39% | R+14.7 | 55.09% | 39.61% | D+15.5 | R |
| 135 | 39.86% | 58.83% | R+19 | 46.82% | 48.89% | R+2.1 | R |
| 136 | 41.43% | 55.34% | R+13.9 | 47.69% | 45.16% | D+2.5 | R |
| 137 | 63.91% | 34.49% | D+29.4 | 67.00% | 28.92% | D+38.1 | D |
| 138 | 39.30% | 59.18% | R+19.9 | 47.85% | 47.78% | D+0.1 | R |
| 139 | 75.62% | 23.61% | D+52 | 76.12% | 20.61% | D+55.5 | D |
| 140 | 70.10% | 28.98% | D+41.1 | 75.09% | 21.87% | D+53.2 | D |
| 141 | 87.41% | 12.07% | D+75.3 | 85.19% | 12.59% | D+72.6 | D |
| 142 | 77.41% | 21.97% | D+55.4 | 76.20% | 20.97% | D+55.2 | D |
| 143 | 67.18% | 31.86% | D+35.3 | 71.02% | 26.02% | D+45 | D |
| 144 | 50.77% | 47.88% | D+2.9 | 57.75% | 38.37% | D+19.4 | D |
| 145 | 60.26% | 38.28% | D+22 | 66.92% | 28.72% | D+38.2 | D |
| 146 | 78.82% | 20.05% | D+58.8 | 79.43% | 17.32% | D+62.1 | D |
| 147 | 78.07% | 20.30% | D+57.8 | 78.99% | 16.78% | D+62.2 | D |
| 148 | 56.59% | 41.08% | D+15.5 | 63.82% | 30.50% | D+33.3 | D |
| 149 | 58.76% | 40.12% | D+18.6 | 64.25% | 32.50% | D+31.8 | D |
| 150 | 30.28% | 68.55% | R+38.3 | 36.63% | 59.18% | R+22.6 | R |
| Total | 41.40% | 57.19% | R+15.8 | 43.48% | 52.53% | R+9.1 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
| Local courts | Texas | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The University of Texas at Austin: Texas Politics, "Winning Public Office: General Elections and Special Elections," January 29, 2014
- ↑ Texas Election Code, "Title 10, Sec. 172.003 and 172.004," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ Office of the Secretary of State, "1992-Current Election History," accessed August 20, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Texas," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Texas Courts Online, "Administrative Judicial Regions," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ Texas State Historical Association, "Judiciary," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Texas Secretary of State, "Qualifications for Office," accessed January 14, 2016
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas
State courts:
Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts
State resources:
Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas
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