Texas and Tarrant County vote: What to know about the Democratic, Republican runoffs
The May 24 runoff elections feature a slate of candidates vying for some of the most high profile seats in the state and county.
At the top of the ticket are contests for Tarrant County and Texas’ top prosecutor, as a pair of Republicans bid for district attorney and four candidates fight to for a place on the November ballot in the attorney general’s race.
The first round of the Democratic and Republican primaries were in March, but candidates who didn’t get more than half of the votes were not able to advance to the November election. Runoff voters will pick who wins a place in the general election.
In the attorney general race, embattled incumbent Ken Paxton is up against George P. Bush, the Texas land commissioner and a part of the Bush political dynasty.
Paxton has labeled Bush as the establishment candidate while Bush hits Paxton for his long-running legal troubles and his scant presence on the campaign trail. As they duke it out in the Republican primary, civil rights attorney Rochelle Garza and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski are working to secure the title of Democratic nominee in what some consider to be Democrat’s best chance at a statewide seat.
Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson’s decision not to seek reelection has left an open post. Texas Rep. Matt Krause and Judge Phil Sorrells, both Republicans, are in a race marked by name recognition vs. experience. The winner will appear on the November ballot with Democrat Tiffany Burks, who served as the deputy chief of the criminal division for the district attorney’s office.
Also on the ballot are two house races: House District 93 opened by Krause to run for DA and House District 91, where incumbent Stephanie Klick has been challenged on her conservative credentials by her opponent David Lowe.
Statewide, there are runoffs in the Democratic race for lieutenant governor, the Democratic and Republican races for land commissioner, the Democratic race for comptroller and the Republican race for railroad commissioner.
Congressional Districts in Tarrant County with runoffs include House District 24, where Democrats Democrats Jan McDowel and Derrik T. Gay are vying to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, a Republican.
There are Democratic and Republican runoffs for House District 30, where Democrat Jasmine Crockett, a state representative, will face Jane Hope Hamilton, who worked as a chief of staff in Congress. James “J Frank” Harris and James Rodgers are in the Republican runoff. The seat, which includes a portion of southeast Tarrant County after redistricting, is open after U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Dallas Democrat, announced she wasn’t seeking reelection.
In March, roughly 11% of registered voters turned out in the Republican primary and about 6% turned out in the Democratic Primary.
Turnout that’s higher than March’s isn’t expected, even though there are several interesting races in Tarrant County, said TCU Political Science Professor Jim Riddlesperger.
Riddlesperger predicted that the attorney general race will drive turnout in the Republican primary. That could lead to some voting in down ballot races where they’re less informed, he said.
“We know that some of those voters may not be terribly informed about either the local DA race or the state legislative races, which are somewhat lower profile,” Riddlesperger said. “And therefore, you’ll have some percentage of voters likely that will be voting in those races with only the barest inkling of what the issues might be in those elections.”
Turnout in the Democratic runoffs will likely see an even bigger drop off, he said.
“(Democrats) don’t really strongly prefer one Democrat over another Democrat,” he said. “They prefer either Democrat over a Republican. Whereas in the Republican Party, there’s an assumption because of more than 20 years of Republican dominance in Texas politics that whoever the Republicans nominate will be elected, and therefore they see great stakes in trying to determine who the nominee is.”
Early voting starts Monday and runs through Friday.
Who can vote in the runoff?
Those who voted in the March Republican or Democratic primary are eligible to vote in the runoff election, but they must vote in the runoff of the same party they did during the primary. Eligible voters who didn’t cast ballots in the primary can vote in either runoff.
What to bring to the polls
Texas require a form a photo ID to vote at the polls. Accepted forms of identification are:
- A Texas driver license
- A Texas election identification certificate
- A Texas personal identification card
- A handgun license A U.S. military ID card that includes your photo
- A U.S. citizen certificate with your photo on it
- A U.S. passport
Voters can also submit a Reasonable Impediment Declaration with a supporting form of ID, if you don’t have one of the above options. Alternative ID types include:
A government document that includes the voter’s name and address (This includes a voter registration certificate.)
- A current utility bill
- A bank statement
- A government check
- A paycheck
- A birth certificate
Where to vote
The Tarrant County Election website shows early and Election Day voting sites. Whether voting early or on Election Day, voters can select any election site to cast their ballot.
Since the Republican and Democratic primaries are conducted as separate elections by their respective parties, voters will be asked to pick which party they’re voting in when they get to the polling place. This may involve lining up for different voting machines depending on party affiliation.
Voting by mail
A new identification requirement for mail-in ballots and application led to problems for thousands of voters in the state. The requirement, established in a voting law passed last year, requires voters to provide identification number on their ballot and application that matches the number in their voter record file.
Those voting absentee should put both their driver’s license number or state ID number and the last four digits of their social security number on the inside flap of their ballot envelope.
The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot was May 13.
Mail-in ballots can be tracked on the Secretary of State office’s website. To check a ballot’s status, voters will need to provide their full name, address, their driver’s license number or DPS PIN and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.
This story was originally published May 16, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Texas and Tarrant County vote: What to know about the Democratic, Republican runoffs."
