Voters are limited to voting in one party’s primary each calendar year. Here’s how it works:
By Bella Monaco
Dallas Morning News
https://www.dallasnews.com/
Angela Piazza / Staff Photographer
With early voting for the Texas primaries starting Feb. 17, voters may be wondering if they can vote in both the Democratic and Republican primaries. What determines which primary ballot you’re eligible to vote for?
Here’s how Texas primary voting works.
Parties run their own primaries
The Texas primaries are held by both the Republican and Democratic parties which use the results to select which candidate will represent their party in the Texas general election in November.
You can only vote in one primary
For starters, a voter can only vote within one primary.
According to the Texas Secretary of State website, if a voter has not already voted in a primary or taken an oath of party affiliation during the current calendar year, they may choose to vote in either party’s primary. An oath of party affiliation is when a voter signs a statement aligning themselves with a particular political party. Official commitments can happen at a precinct convention or with a member of the county executive committee.
If a voter has voted in a primary or taken oath within the calendar year, they are eligible to vote in only their designated party’s primary.
Party affiliation expires each year on Dec. 31, so a voter’s prior affiliation does not affect the following primaries.
Primary runoff rules
After voting within one primary party, the voter must stay in that primary party if a runoff occurs in the same year.
If you did not vote in a primary you may still vote in a runoff , but only for one party.
The 2026 Texas primary is set for March 3 and registration has already closed. Howeverregistration is available for the Nov. general election.
Voters will choose candidates for the U.S. Senate, lieutenant governor, attorney general, land commissioner, agriculture commissioner and comptroller. The ballot also includes the State Board of Education and judicial seats, and candidates for legislative and congressional offices.
Bella Monaco is a senior at Southern Methodist University majoring in journalism.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
