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Williamson County: 2022 Primary Elections Voter Guide

KUT 90.5 | By KUT Staff
Published February 12, 2022 at 8:37 AM CST
A person walks up some stairs with a "Vote" sign in the foreground.
Gabriel C. Pérez
/
KUT

Lee esta historia en español.

It's primary season in Texas. Republicans and Democrats across the state will decide who their party's nominee will be in the November general election. Williamson County also has some important seats up in local races for county commissioner, county courts and justices of the peace.

Election Day is Tuesday, March 1, and early voting for the primaries runs from Monday, Feb. 14, through Friday, Feb. 25. Runoff elections can take place between the top candidates if no one reaches a 50% majority of the vote.

If you don't find your districts listed below, that means they're not up for election in 2022. You can also jump to congressional, statewide races, state legislative or county races.

A list of polling locations in Williamson County can be found here.

Find races for Travis County here, and Hays County here.

* Indicates incumbent

Federal

U.S. House of Representatives

Texas has 38 seats in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress. The total number of representatives is set at 435. Each state is given a number of representatives based on population. Texas gained two seats after the 2020 census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms.

District 10 covers the western half of Travis County and extends northeast to parts of Pflugerville, then goes from Bastrop County and hits the western border of Harris County. U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul has held this seat since 2005.

District 17 encompasses most of Round Rock, Pflugerville and Waco before extending well into East Texas past Nacogdoches. U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions was elected in 2020.

District 31 includes most of Williamson County, including much of Cedar Park and Leander, and then extends north through another five counties. U.S. Rep. John Carter has held the seat since 2003.

District 37 includes nearly all of the western half of Austin and a portion of Northeast Austin. The district is one of two congressional seats Texas added after the 2020 census. U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of District 35 is running for election in this district.

Statewide

Governor: The governor is the head of Texas’ executive and legislative branch. Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who was first elected in 2014, is running for his third term in office. In this primary, Abbott is facing seven Republican challengers — including former state Sen. Don Huffines, former Texas GOP Chairman Allen West, and a man named Rick Perry (who isn’t the state’s former governor). Five people are competing for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, including Beto O’Rourke. The former congressman from El Paso made a notable run for U.S. Senate in 2018 and ran for president in 2020.

Lieutenant governor: While this is the state’s second-highest executive office, some would argue it’s the most powerful. The lieutenant governor presides over the Texas Senate and is elected every four years. Dan Patrick has held the position since 2015 and is seeking a third term. Five other Republicans are challenging Patrick, who made national headlines at the beginning of the pandemic for suggesting grandparents would be willing to sacrifice themselves to save the economy. There are three candidates on the Democratic side, including Mike Collier. He was also the party’s nominee for lieutenant governor in 2018.

Attorney general: Texas’ attorney general is the state’s top lawyer whose office provides legal counsel and representation to the state. Incumbent Republican Ken Paxton is running for a third term. In 2015, Paxton was indicted on three felony charges related to securities fraud violations, but has not yet gone to trial. The AG is also reportedly under investigation by the FBI after former aides accused him of taking bribes. Those issues are being brought up by Paxton’s three challengers in the Republican primary — former land Commissioner George P. Bush, U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman. Five Democrats are also vying for a place on the November ballot.

Comptroller of public accounts: As Texas’ chief financial officer, the comptroller is in charge of collecting taxes and coming up with the budget estimate for the state. Glenn Hegar has held the office since 2015 and is seeking a third term. Three people are running for the Democratic Party’s nomination.

Commissioner of the general land office: Texas’ land commissioner is responsible for managing public lands in the state. Land revenues are used for veteran programs and watching the state’s coastline. Current Commissioner George P. Bush is running for attorney general, which has left eight Republicans and four Democrats vying for the position.

Commissioner of agriculture: The commissioner is in charge of the Texas Department of Agriculture, which oversees things such as proper pesticide use, organic certification, aid to Texas farmers and ensuring food is weighed properly. Incumbent Sid Miller was elected in 2014 and is seeking his third re-election against two other Republicans; two Democrats are running for the nomination.

Railroad commissioner: Don’t let the name fool you; Texas’ railroad commissioner doesn’t have anything to do with railroads. The three-member commission actually oversees the state’s oil and gas industries. Commissioners hold their positions for six-year terms. These are staggered so there’s an election for at least one spot on the ballot every two years. One seat is up for grabs this year. Republican incumbent Wayne Christian faces several challengers in his fight for a second term. A candidate from Lubbock, Marvin “Sarge” Summers, died in a car crash in early February, but his name will still appear on the ballot. Whoever wins the primary will face Democrat Luke Warford, who is running unopposed.

Texas Supreme Court: Texas’ Supreme Court is the final resort for civil and juvenile cases in the state. The court includes eight justices and one chief justice. Each is elected to a six-year term. The governor can appoint a new justice if one steps down before their term ends. There are three seats on the court up for election this year, and only one race is competitive in the primary.

Supreme Court Justice, Place 3:

Supreme Court Justice, Place 5:

Supreme Court Justice, Place 9:

Court of Criminal Appeals: Texas’ Court of Criminal Appeals is the highest court for criminal cases. The court includes nine judges, each elected to six-year terms. There are three races this year, but Place 2 Judge Mary Lou Keel, a Republican, is running unopposed.

Court of Criminal Appeals Place 2 Judge:

Court of Criminal Appeals Place 5 Judge:

Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6 Judge:

Third Court of Appeals: Williamson County falls under the jurisdiction of the Third Court of Appeals. This appellate court sees both civil and criminal cases appealed from district or county courts.

Place 4:

District judges: District courts have countywide geographical jurisdiction, and the district judges are elected countywide to four-year terms. District courts are trial courts of general subject-matter jurisdiction. They hear felony criminal prosecutions, suits for divorce, election contests, juvenile cases, and civil suits with an amount in controversy of at least $200 with no ceiling.

277th Judicial District:

368th Judicial District:

State Board of Education
Members of the State Board of Education are responsible for setting Texas public school curriculum and graduation requirements, along with overseeing Texas’ Permanent School Fund. The 15 board members represent different districts across the state.

State Board of Education Member District 5:

State Board of Education Member District 10:

Texas Legislature

Texas House of Representatives

The Texas House is the lower chamber of the state Legislature. It consists of 150 members, who are elected every two years. Along with the state Senate, the House drafts and passes state laws, policies and budgets. The Legislature meets for 140 days during odd-numbered years, though the governor can call special sessions outside that time frame as he did three times during 2021.

District 20 encompasses most of Georgetown and includes Liberty Hill, Granger, Florence, Weir, Jarrell and Thrall.

District 52 spans Round Rock, Hutto, Taylor and a small part of Georgetown.

District 136 covers western Williamson County, including Northwest Austin, Cedar Park, Leander, and the Brushy Creek area.

Texas Senate 

This is the upper chamber of the Texas Legislature. It consists of 31 members, each representing about 940,000 Texans. They are elected to four-year terms. Along with the Texas House of Representatives, the Texas Senate drafts and passes state laws, policies and budgets. The Legislature meets for 140 days during odd-numbered years, though the governor can call special sessions outside that time frame as he did three times during 2021.

District 5 covers Williamson and Bastrop counties and then extends northeast through another nine counties.

District 24 covers most of the Hill Country and a sliver of northwest Travis County, including much of Leander and Cedar Park.

County

County judge: The county judge presides over Commissioners Court, the body that drafts and passes policies for the county. The judge also prepares the yearly budget and oversees all county departments.

County courts: County courts oversee cases involving adult criminal misdemeanors, juvenile offenders, guardianship and mental health.

County Court at Law 1 Judge:

County Court at Law 2 Judge:

County Court at Law 3 Judge:

County Court at Law 4 Judge:

District clerk: The district clerk provides and manages all records of district court proceedings. They support district courts and judges. District courts are trial courts of general subject-matter jurisdiction. They hear felony criminal prosecutions, suits for divorce, election contests, juvenile cases, and civil suits with an amount in controversy of at least $200 with no ceiling.

County clerk: The county clerk records the minutes of all Commissioners Court meetings and maintains public records and county court records.

County treasurer: The county treasurer serves as a custodian for all the county's money. They also keep receipt of the county's revenue, investments and disbursements.

County constable: A constable is a commissioned peace officer, elected by county constituents every four years for a particular area or precinct of that county. A constable may enforce any criminal and civil law or motor vehicle violation and conduct criminal investigations.

Precinct 3:

Commissioners Court: County commissioners draft and pass policies for the county, much like city council members do for a city. There are four county commissioners in Williamson County, plus the county judge, who is elected countywide. Two seats on the commission are up for election this year.

Precinct 2 covers the western part of the county including Liberty Hill, Cedar Park and Leander.

Precinct 4 encompasses the eastern side of the county from Hutto out to Thorndale and up towards Granger to Bartlett and Jarrell.

Justices of the peace: Justices of the peace preside over small claims court and hear cases regarding traffic, truancy, and minor alcohol and tobacco violations. They can also issue warrants, set bonds and perform marriages.

Precinct 1:

  • REPUBLICANS: Russell Winston Collins
  • DEMOCRATS: KT Musselman*

Precinct 2:

Precinct 3:

Precinct 4:

Tags
Politics Williamson County2022 Elections
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