Early voting under way in Texas through Feb. 25

Voters began showing up at polling places on Valentine’s Day to cast ballots in partisan primary elections—and some were caught by surprise, by the number of races at every level through statewide and, on the Republican side, 10 nonbinding questions regarding policy matters.

This will be the first election in which Texans will be voting in new political districts. Be sure to check your new voter registration card regarding your districts and local precincts.

Additionally, the Republican Party of Texas placed 10 nonbinding advisory questions on March 1, 2022 primary ballots. Democrats did not place any nonbinding questions on primary ballots.

According to Ballotpedia, Political parties place these nonbinding questions on ballots to gauge voters’ priorities. In the introduction to the propositions on its website, the Republican Party stated, “Keep in mind that this is an opinion poll of Republican voters and not a policy referendum. When you vote YES or NO, you are telling us what you think should happen. You are not voting to make a law but merely saying YES you agree or NO you do not agree with the statement.”

The deadline for counties to receive mail-in ballot requests is Friday, Feb. 18.

Election day for the Texas primary will be Tuesday, March 1.

On the ballot are partisan primary races for the following offices, if a party has one or more candidates. We recommend consulting the Texas Tribune guide online at

https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2022/texas-2022-election-ballot-…

for an overview of all races, and a mechanism to see your own local ballot by entering your residential address.

Sample ballots for specific counties can also be found through the list of county websites maintained by the Texas Secretary of State’s office.

The Ballotpedia website is another excellent resource to learn more about Texas's elections: www.ballotpedia.org/Texas_elections,_2022

• Governor

• Lt. Governor

• Attorney General

• Land Commissioner

• Agriculture Commissioner

• Comptroller

• Railroad Commissioner (on the Republican ballot, note that candidate Marvin "Sarge" Summers died in a car crash on Feb. 8, 2022, after ballots were printed)

• U.S. House Representative

• Supreme Court of Texas

• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

• State Board of Education

• Texas Senate

• Texas House of Representatives