The Primary Elections have passed and now some Texas races are going into Primary Runoff Elections before heading to Uniform Elections. Here’s a rundown of what you need to know 👟.
Texas and Travis County 2022 Primary Election Results
Voting ended on Tuesday, March 2, 2022 for Primary Elections. Most Texans didn’t make it to the polls. Approximately 17.5% people across the state showed up and chose candidates to face off in the upcoming Uniform Elections. And low turnout in Texas isn’t new, with the lone star state often making lists as one of the states with the worst voter turnout. This is partially due to new ballot protocols across the state and a history of restrictive practices. In Travis County the number for voter turnout was a little better but nothing to write home about, sitting at 18.1%.
A few statewide races were close, having no one candidate getting 50% of the votes, causing Primary Runoff Elections in April. Most notably, are the Lieutenant Governor Democrat representative and Attorney General Republican representative. While no Travis County races will go into runoff elections there is a recount requested for the Democrat’s race for the Travis County Commissioner.
Meanwhile the State of Texas’ race for the next Governor is locked in with Gregg Abbott continuing to represent Republicans facing off again against Democrat candidate, Beto O’Rourke.
Primary Runoff Elections will be held in May and Uniform Elections will start later in the year, with early voting beginning in October (check out important dates below).
What is a Runoff Election?
“A runoff election is a second election held to determine a winner when no candidate in the first election met the required threshold for victory. Runoff elections can be held for both primary elections and general elections.” – Ballotpedia.org
Important Upcoming Election Dates
There’s time to register for the Primary Runoff Race and the upcoming Uniform Election Day. This year there are races for the Mayor of Austin, Governor of Texas, and several other district elections. Here are the upcoming election dates for 2022:
2022 Texas Primary Runoff Election Dates
Thursday, April 7 Last Day to Register to Vote
Friday, May 13 Last Day to Apply by Mail Primary Runoff Election
Monday, May 16 First Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance
Friday, May 20 Last Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance
Tuesday, May 24 Election Day & Last Day to Receive Ballot by Mail
2022 Texas Uniform Elections Dates
Tuesday, October 11 Last Day to Register to Vote
Monday, October 24 First Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance
Friday, October 28 Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail
Friday, November 4 Last Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance
Tuesday, November 8 Election Day & Last day to Receive Ballot by Mail
Unsure if you’re registered? If you’ve changed addresses then you’ll want to get your registration updated. Check your status on the Texas Secretary of State website. And see who represents you by visiting this DataMade web tool called, My Reps.
Stay tuned to stay informed on local elections. We’ll work to provide details on the upcoming Runoff and Uniform Elections as they get closer!