Your Guide to the March 3 Primaries in Texas

Today is the first day of early voting for the March 3 primaries and we’ve got all the information you need!

🎧 If you prefer your voting guide to be audio-based, listen to today’s City Cast Austin podcast episode!

📅 Election Day Is in March

March 3 is Texas’ primary elections, which is where voters choose who the Democratic and Republican nominee will be for a number of roles, including Texas governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and John Cornyn’s U.S. Senate seat. You don’t need to be affiliated with a party in order to vote, but you can only vote in one party’s primary.

Think of this election like a semi-final. Whoever wins, moves on to the next round. If a runoff election needs to be held, that will be on May 26.

✅ The Ballot Is Big

You have a lot to consider before heading to the polls this year. A good thing to know: You can look up your ballot on the Travis County Clerk’s website and on the Vote 411 website. Go through each race and write down who you plan to vote for – you can bring your sheet of paper into the voting booth.

Some of the statewide races include:

The Texas Tribune has a breakdown of all the candidates running in the primaries that you should check out.

Local races include a number of Travis County judge and county commissioner positions, as well as house seats. The Austin American-Statesman’s Editorial Board made recommendations for the March 3 election and it’s a super helpful guide.

🗳️ Early Voting in Travis County Lasts 10 Days

Early voting runs through Feb. 27, but times differ:

Some polling locations will be open until 10 p.m. on the last two days of early voting. You can vote anywhere with a sign out front that says “Vote here/aqui.”

The Travis County Clerk has an online list of polling locations. The last day to apply for a mail-in ballot is Feb. 20. You can find information about applying online.