Election Information
Elections for seats in the Texas Legislature are held every two years. Legislators in the House
of Representatives serve two-year terms, and senators serve staggered four-year terms.
The following is the order of deadlines and events that make up an election season.
1. Filing deadline—By this date in the first week of January, candidates must file the
proper paperwork with the county clerk or state party office in order to have their names appear
on the ballots in the March primary and November general elections. Candidates can announce their
intentions to run at any time, but filing is the first official step toward candidacy.
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here for information about becoming a member of the Texas Legislature.
2. Primary election—Once all candidates have filed, the race is on. The first heat is
the primary election, which by law is held the first Tuesday in March in even-numbered years. On
this date, voters have the choice of voting in either the Republican or Democratic primary.
Someone who votes in the Democratic primary chooses the candidate he
wants to represent the Democratic Party in the November general election. Republican primary
voters do the same for their party.
Winners are determined this way: If there are three candidates, one must obtain a majority of
votes to advance to the general election. If one candidate does not receive more than 50 percent of
the votes, there is a runoff election between the top two candidates on the first Tuesday in April
following the primary election. Once one candidate receives a majority, either in the primary or
the runoff, he is the official candidate for that political party, and his name will appear on the
November ballot. If all the candidates in a race are from the same political party, the race is
over after the primary.
3. General election—The general election is held the Tuesday after the first Monday in
November in even-numbered years. The candidates up for election are those who won the Republican
and Democratic primary elections in March and any candidates from a third party (e.g. the Green
Party or Libertarian Party). Voters select from these candidates to fill the offices of governor,
lieutenant governor, attorney general, state legislator, State Board of Education member, U.S.
congressman or U.S. senator, as well as many other local and state offices.
4. Special elections—A special election occurs when an office becomes vacant due to
resignation or death. Since few voters usually turn out for special elections, those who do vote
are extremely influential. The governor sets the dates of special elections, but they are usually
synchronized with other upcoming elections unless otherwise specified by the Texas Election Code.
5. Constitutional amendment elections—These elections are held the Tuesday after the
first Monday in November of odd-numbered years. The ballot in such elections consists of numerous
referendums proposed to the Texas Constitution by the Texas Legislature.
6. School board and other local elections—School board and other local elections are
held the first Saturday in May or as specified by the local board within a uniform election date.
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