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What’s on your Ballot
In the general election, every registered voter gets the same ballot for their area, no party selection, no separate runoff. What appears depends on your address, since you'll also see local and district races specific to where you live. Check VoteTexas.gov to see your exact ballot.
Enter your address at the Texas Voter Portal or visit VoteTexas.gov to see your personalized ballot, confirm your polling place, and check your registration status. For a deeper look at every race and candidate, Ballotpedia's 2026 Texas elections page is a thorough, nonpartisan reference.
Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals candidates run under a party label and appear on your ballot like any other race. Texas has two separate high courts: the Supreme Court handles civil and juvenile cases, while the Court of Criminal Appeals handles criminal matters. Both are worth researching before you vote.
Reading guides critically
Voting guides come from civic nonprofits, local media, advocacy groups, political parties, and single-issue organizations. All can be useful. Knowing where a guide comes from, and why it exists, helps you use it wisely.
If a guide explicitly recommends candidates, it's advocacy, not education. Not automatically bad, but know what you're reading.
Words like "radical," "dangerous," or "heroic" signal persuasion, not facts.
If a guide doesn't say who made it or why, you can't assess its angle.
If one candidate's answers appear but another's don't, the guide may be skewing your view.
Claims about candidates' positions should link to public records so you can verify.
All candidates get the same questions, the same space, and the same format.
Links to candidate websites, official records, or public statements you can check yourself.
Explains who made it, what their mission is, and how they gathered information.
Puts races in context so you understand what's at stake in each one.
Trustworthy guides direct you to VoteTexas.gov for registration and ballot info.
Use the Texas Voter Portal first to see exactly what's on your ballot for your address, then research from there.
No single guide tells the whole story. Cross-reference local news, candidate websites, and any civic guides you trust for the same race.
The Supreme Court handles civil cases and the Court of Criminal Appeals handles criminal matters. Both have seats on the ballot and both deserve attention.
Despite the name, it regulates oil, gas, and energy infrastructure statewide, not railroads. It's one of the most consequential offices on your ballot.
Guides from civic groups, newspapers, or advocacy organizations are useful context. Read them as an informed perspective, not a final answer.
If a guide summarizes a candidate's position, check the candidate's own website to confirm context, especially for quotes or claims that seem surprising.
Remember: Voting guides are tools, not instructions. The best ones help you understand who is running, what the office does, and what's at stake, so you can decide what aligns with your own values. The judgment is always yours.
Guides come from many places. Here are the most common sources Texas voters use, and what to expect from each.
Outlets like the Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, San Antonio Express-News, and Austin American-Statesman publish candidate Q&As and editorial endorsements. Search the outlet's name plus "voter guide 2026."
Some civic groups publish questionnaires where all candidates answer the same questions. Look for equal treatment of all candidates as a trust signal.
Business groups, faith communities, unions, and single-issue advocates publish openly values-driven guides. Fine to use, just know the lens they're coming from.
A candidate's own site tells you what they want you to know. Treat it as a primary source, not a neutral one. Check positions, background, and endorsements.
The Texas Republican and Democratic parties publish materials about their candidates. Explicitly partisan, but useful for understanding how a candidate is positioned within their own party.
Neighbors, colleagues, and faith leaders who follow local Texas politics closely are often the most useful source, especially for county and district races with little media coverage.
You don't need a guide to research a candidate. Here's a framework you can use for any race, whether it's the Governor's race or a county commissioner seat. Tap any item to expand it.
Before evaluating a candidate, know the job. Texas has several offices that are easy to misunderstand:
If you're unsure what an office does, search the office name plus "Texas responsibilities," or visit texas.gov for official descriptions.
Start with the candidate's own website. What issues do they lead with? What do they say they'll do? Then look for:
For incumbents or candidates who've held prior office, their record is the most reliable predictor of future behavior. Look for:
Campaign finance filings are public record in Texas. You can look up contributions at:
Look at both the size of donations and where they come from. Large contributions from a specific industry or interest group can indicate where a candidate's priorities may lie.
Endorsements from organizations, elected officials, and community leaders signal who a candidate is aligned with. Look for endorsements on the candidate's website and consider whether the endorsing organizations reflect values you share. Endorsements from groups on different sides of an issue can reveal how a candidate is positioning themselves across a broad coalition.
In Texas, judicial candidates run under a party label, but that's not the only thing worth evaluating. For judicial races, also look for:
Before any guide or research, start here. These official tools show your personalized ballot, confirm your polling place, and let you check your registration, all specific to your address.
See your exact ballot, confirm your polling place and check your registration. Powered by the Texas Secretary of State’s Office
The Texas Secretary of State’s official voter information hub. Covers ID requirements, registration, polling places, and elections dates.
