Elections in Texas

From 1836 to 1845, the Republic of Texas elected presidents. In 1845, it was admitted to the United States as the state of Texas.

Texas gubernatorial elections are held every four years on the nationwide Election Day, which is the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. They are held on years that are even-numbered, but not multiples of four, also known as a midterm, so they do not coincide with the presidential elections.

Texas Senate elections are held every four years on the same date as gubernatorial elections. Texas House elections are held every two years on Election Day. They are held on even-numbered years.

If a candidate in a general election that requires a majority vote earns less than 50 percent of votes, the top two candidates advance to a runoff regardless of political party or no party.

To reduce the amount of time required to fill electoral vacancies, in special elections Texas dispenses with party primaries and instead uses a jungle primary system. Candidates of all parties (or no party) appear on the same ballot; if no single one of them receives 50 percent plus 1 vote, the two highest vote-getters also advance to a runoff irrespective of party affiliation. In the special election of 1961, John Tower, a Republican, was able to win a United States Senate seat in then-overwhelmingly Democratic Texas.

See also

• United States presidential elections in Texas
• Political party strength in Texas
• Women's suffrage in Texas

Further reading

• Nina Perales; Luis Figueroa; Criselda G. Rivas (2006), Voting rights in Texas, 1982-2006 (PDF), Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, OCLC 837607742
• Nick Corasaniti; Stephanie Saul; Patricia Mazzei (September 13, 2020), "Big Voting Decisions in Florida, Wisconsin, Texas: What They Mean for November", New York Times, archived from the original on September 13, 2020, Both parties are waging legal battles around the country over who gets to vote and how

External links

• Elections Division at the Texas Secretary of State official website
• Texas at Ballotpedia
• Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "Texas", Voting & Elections Toolkits
• University of Texas Libraries, "Voting and Elections", Research Guides
• "League of Women Voters of Texas". (State affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
• Digital Public Library of America. Assorted materials related to Texas elections
• "State Elections Legislation Database", Ncsl.org, Washington, D.C.: National Conference of State Legislatures, State legislation related to the administration of elections introduced in 2011 through this year, 2020