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The big picture
Step 1
Multiple candidates compete within each party. To win outright, a candidate needs more than 50% of the vote. If nobody clears that bar, the top two move on.
Step 2
If no candidate receives 50% or more of the vote, the top two candidates face off in a runoff election.
Step 3
Primary winners face off in the general election, and every registered Texas voter can weigh in, no matter which primary ballot you chose. The person with the most votes wins and becomes the elected official who represents you. This is the election that decides who holds office.
DON'T STOP AT THE TOP
Most people think of an election as one big race at the top. But your November ballot is long, and it keeps going well past the headline contests, all the way down to the local offices closest to home.
Voters fill in the big races at the top and quit before the end. It even has a name: roll off. But the offices at the bottom, your judges, your county leaders, your school board, run your schools, your roads, and your taxes. Skip them and you let someone else decide. Texas dropped the one-box party option, so now you vote each race on its own. Your ballot is not done until you reach the bottom.
Your eligibility
The midterm election is open to every registered Texas voter, no matter what you did in the primary. There are no party ballots and no separate lanes. If you are registered, you get to vote every race on your ballot. Here is how to make sure you are set.
You are good to go. Show up and vote every race on your ballot.
Sign up by October 5. It takes five minutes at votetexas.gov.
Moved or changed your name? Update it by October 5 at votetexas.gov.
Unlike the primaries, the November election is not tied to a party ballot. Every registered voter receives the same ballot and can vote in every race. For official eligibility guidance, visit VoteTexas.gov.
Common questions
You don't need a guide to research a candidate. Here's a framework for doing it yourself, whether you're looking at a Governor's race or a county commissioner seat. Click any item to expand.
No. Unlike the primary, the November midterm election is not tied to any party. Every registered voter gets the same ballot, with candidates from all parties listed together. You choose whoever you want in each race. It does not matter what you did in March, or whether you voted at all.
Yes. Early voting for the November 3 election runs October 19 through October 30. You can find your early voting location and hours at VoteTexas.gov.
You may be eligible to vote by mail if you are 65 or older, have a disability or illness, will be away from your county during the entire early voting period and on Election Day, are expected to give birth within three weeks of Election Day, or are confined in jail but otherwise eligible. The deadline for your county to receive your mail ballot application is October 23. More info at VoteTexas.gov.
Never. Midterms Matter is a nonpartisan civic education initiative. We don't support or oppose any candidate, party, or political position. Our only goal is making sure more Texans have the information they need to participate, however they choose.
Midterms Matter is a nonpartisan coalition of Texas leaders helping their networks show up informed on November 3rd.
