It's time to head back to the polls, starting today.
Nearly two months after casting ballots in Texas' primary election, it's time for voters to finally settle a few races left undecided.That includes nominations for seats in the U.S. Senate and House, state Legislature and positions in local courthouses as well.But it's the dead of the summer, an odd time for Texans to be voting, and political observers don't know how many people will be heading back to the polls."I think the turnout will be in the single digits, nothing to brag about," said Steve Raborn, Tarrant County's elections administrator. "There's not as many local races on the ballot as there were in May, but there are some spirited races on the ballot."Early voting runs through Friday for the July 31 runoff election.The battle for Texas' first open U.S. Senate seat in a decade tops the ballot for both parties, as Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and former Solicitor General Ted Cruz vie for the GOP nomination and former state Rep. Paul Sadler and Grady Yarbrough fight for the Democratic nomination.Other heated races near the top of the ballot include the Democratic battle for the newly drawn 33rd Congressional District, where state Rep. Marc Veasey of Fort Worth and former state Rep. Domingo Garcia square off for the chance to be the first person to represent the district that stretches from Fort Worth's Stockyards to Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood. The winner faces Republican Chuck Bradley in November.And the GOP battle for the revamped 25th Congressional District, which stretches from Tarrant County to Austin, also is on the ballot, pitting longtime Weatherford car dealer Roger Williams against Gatesville Tea Party activist and retired Army officer Wes Riddle. The winner faces Democrat Elaine Henderson in November."The total turnout is likely to be very low in these runoffs," said Allan Saxe, an associate political science professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. "It is rather unusual to have a midsummer election, but the high interest in national politics may spill over to these statewide and local races as well."In the May 29 primary election, just 3.44 percent of Democrats and 9.72 percent of Republicans voted in Tarrant County, local records show.Raborn said he doesn't know if runoff totals will match those numbers. "It's hard to say," he said.But one thing is for certain: Mail-in ballots are on the rise, at least in Tarrant County.For the May 29 primary, 1,385 mail-in ballots were returned in Tarrant County for the 33rd Congressional District race. As of last week, 1,522 ballots in the Tarrant County portion of that district have already been turned in, local election records show.Anyone who didn't vote in the May 29 primary may vote in either party's July 31 runoff election. Anyone who voted in the Republican primary may vote in the Republican runoff; anyone who voted in the Democratic primary may vote in the Democratic runoff.Anna M. Tinsley, 817-390-7610Twitter: @annatinsley
Fort Worth council to vote on redistricting plan
Voting starts today on North Texas primary runoff elections
Fort Worth council maps a mistake
Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
