Seems like every time we turn around, there’s another election to vote in. It gets confusing! Here’s a cheat sheet…
March Primary Election
In Texas, this is our one chance to choose the BEST candidate. This is the election when all the Republicans run against each other to decide who will go up against the Democrat in the November General Election. In most Texas areas, the Republican chosen in this Primary Election will win in November, so be picky! Time and time again, when we are working the polls for the March Primary Election, voters will say to us, “Oh, I’m voting for the Republican.” Oops. They are ALL Republicans in the Primary! The Primary Election can get very ugly and cause a lot of in-fighting in the GOP. However, this is good and normal because – remember – we are trying to decide who the BEST Republican candidate is. We also take this chance to vote as a party on hot topics we want addressed. These are called propositions, and they don’t actually create law or change anything. They just let our elected Republicans know what we want them to focus on.
Primary Runoff Election
In the March Primary, if no candidate wins at least 50% of the vote, it goes to a runoff. For example, let’s say there are 3 candidates in the race. One gets 25%, one gets 30%, and one gets 45%. Nobody got at least ½ the votes, so it will go to a runoff between the top two vote-getters. This election happens in the spring, and it is very hard to get voters to the polls for this! Conservatives generally win the runoff because our people are paying closer attention.
November General Election
The election in November is the most popular one that everyone knows about, but as I explained above, the real work has already been done. In this election, you choose between one Republican candidate and one Democrat candidate (as well as any 3rd party candidates, like Green Party or Independents). Often times, we don’t like the Republican candidate, but at this point it’s too late. The Primary Election is the time to pick the most conservative candidate. In the General Election, we often have to pick the lesser of two evils – an Establishment GOP candidate or a Democrat. In that case, we go with the GOP simply because when the elected body votes on legislation as a block, we usually want the Republicans to win.
Local Elections
For most municipalities and school boards in Texas, local elections are held in the spring. Some, however, have started combining their local elections with the November General Election in hopes of getting more voters to turn out. This election will cover things like mayor, city council, school board members, bonds, and propositions.
Local Election Runoffs
Just like the Primary, if no candidate gets at least 50% of the vote, it goes into a runoff election. However, some locations have done away with this and go with the top vote-getter to save the time and expense of a Local Runoff Election.
Special Elections
When an elected seat has become unexpectedly vacated (maybe because of death, sickness, or scandal), those seats are filled one of two ways. Sometimes the rules say the replacement is appointed (by the Governor or by local precinct chairs usually). Other times, a special election is held. These can happen at any time during the year as needed.
That’s a lot of elections! What a privilege to be able to participate in how you are governed. True Texas Project will help you any way we can. Make sure you check our website for voting recommendations before you go to the polls!
www.truetexasproject.com
For a one-page, printable version of this Election Explainer, please click here.