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. Election Day is Tuesday, March 5. Runoff elections can take place between the top candidates if no one reaches more than 50% of the vote.
(Not a Hays County resident? Check out our Travis County voter guide or our Williamson County voter guide for those races.)
Hays County voting centers are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. Check the Hays County website for polling locations.
Wondering about how to check your voter registration or what you need to bring with you to the polls? Check out our voting Q&A.
See what’s on your party’s ballot in Hays County:
* Indicates incumbent
Federal
U.S. Senate: Texas has two seats in the U.S. Senate, the upper chamber of Congress. The Senate has 100 members, two from each state, who are elected for six-year terms. Sen. Ted Cruz is up for reelection this year. While there are several Democratic candidates running for his seat, state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, and Congressman Colin Allred, D-Dallas, are current frontrunners for voters, according to recent polling from the Texas Politics Project. For more details, check out The Texas Newsroom's interview with both candidates.
- DEMOCRATS: Roland Gutierrez, Colin Allred, several other candidates
- REPUBLICANS: Ted Cruz*
U.S. House of Representatives: Texas has 38 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress. The total number of representatives is set at 435. Representatives are elected for two-year terms.
District 21 takes up the whole of Hays and Blanco counties and a portion of southern Travis County before it reaches down to parts of San Antonio.
- DEMOCRATS: Kristin Hook
- REPUBLICANS: Chip Roy*
District 35 includes East Austin and Manor, then a sliver of the district runs down along I-35 through parts of San Marcos and New Braunfels before ending in San Antonio.
- DEMOCRATS: Greg Casar*
- REPUBLICANS: Brandon Craig Dunn, Rod Lingsch, Michael Rodriguez, Dave Cuddy, Steven Wright
Statewide
Railroad commissioner: Don’t let the name fool you; Texas’ railroad commissioner doesn’t have anything to do with railroads. The three-member commission oversees the state’s oil and gas industries. One commissioner position is on the ballot every two years.
- DEMOCRATS: Katherine Culbert, Bill Burch
- REPUBLICANS: Christi Craddick*, James “Jim” Matlock, Christie Clark, Petra Reyes, Corey Howell
Texas Supreme Court: The Texas Supreme Court has nine justices. Three seats are up for election in 2024. Currently, all seats are held by Republicans.
Supreme Court Justice, Place 2
- DEMOCRATS: DaSean Jones, Randy Sarosdy
- REPUBLICANS: Jimmy Blacklock*
Supreme Court Justice, Place 4
- DEMOCRATS: Christine Vinh Weems
- REPUBLICANS: Brian Walker, John Devine*
Supreme Court Justice, Place 6
- DEMOCRATS: Bonnie Lee Goldstein, Joe Pool
- REPUBLICANS: Jane Bland*
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals: The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the state’s highest court for criminal cases. The Court consists of nine judges. They are elected for six-year terms. Currently, all seats are held by Republicans.
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge
- DEMOCRATS: Holly Taylor
- REPUBLICANS: Sharon Keller*, David J. Schenck
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7 Judge
- DEMOCRATS: Nancy Mulder
- REPUBLICANS: Barbara Parker Hervey*, Gina Parker
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8 Judge
- DEMOCRATS: Chika Anyiam
- REPUBLICANS: Lee Finley, Michelle Slaughter*
Texas Legislature
Texas Senate: This is the upper chamber of the Texas Legislature. It consists of 31 members. Senators are elected to four-year terms. Along with the Texas House of Representatives, the Texas Senate drafts and passes state laws, policies and budgets.
District 25 extends from western Travis County through Blanco and Hays counties and goes down through New Braunfels and part of San Antonio.
- DEMOCRATS: Merrie Fox
- REPUBLICANS: Donna Campbell*
Texas House of Representatives: The Texas House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Texas Legislature, consisting of 150 members elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. 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 during 2023. There are no term limits.
District 45 includes all major cities along I-35 in Hays County.
- DEMOCRATS: Chevo Pastrano, Erin Zwiener*
- REPUBLICANS: Tennyson G. Moreno
District 73 includes the west side of Hays County and Comal County.
- DEMOCRATS: Sally Duval
- REPUBLICANS: Carrie Isaac*
Texas Third Court of Appeals: The Third Court of Appeals is composed of six justices who serve the Austin area. It has intermediate appellate jurisdiction of both civil and criminal cases appealed from lower courts in 24 counties of Texas.
Third Court of Appeals District Place 2 Justice
- DEMOCRATS: Edward Smith*, Melissa Lorber, Maggie Ellis
- REPUBLICANS: John Messinger
Third Court of Appeals District Place 3 Justice
- DEMOCRATS: Chari Kelly*
- REPUBLICANS: None
Third Court of Appeals District Place 5 Justice
- DEMOCRATS: Thomas J. Baker*, Karin Crump
- REPUBLICANS: None
Third Court of Appeals District Place 6 Justice
- DEMOCRATS: Gisela D. Triana*
- REPUBLICANS: None
District court: District courts have county-wide 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.
22nd Judicial District
- DEMOCRATS: None
- REPUBLICANS: R. Bruce Boyer*
453rd Judicial District
- DEMOCRATS: Sherri K. Tibbe*
- REPUBLICANS: None
483rd Judicial District
- DEMOCRATS: Alicia Key, Joseph Aragon, Sarah Brandon
- REPUBLICANS: Tanner Neidhardt*
County
County court: County courts oversee cases involving adult criminal misdemeanors, juvenile offenders, guardianship and mental health.
Judge, County Court-at-Law #3
- DEMOCRATS: Elaine S. Brown*
- REPUBLICANS: Robert E. Updegrove
Sheriff: The sheriff is an elected law enforcement officer who apprehends fugitives, runs the county jail and leads a team of sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement personnel.
- DEMOCRATS: Alex Villalobos, Daniel Law
- REPUBLICANS: Anthony Hipolito
Tax assessor-collector: The tax assessor-collector calculates property tax rates and collects taxes for the county.
- DEMOCRATS: Cynthia A. Millonzi, Jessica Sanchez, Vianna “Vee” Garza, Jennifer M. Escobar
- REPUBLICANS: None
Hays County commissioners: County commissioners draft and pass policies for the county, much like city council members do for a city. There are four county commissioners in Hays County, plus the county judge, who is elected countywide.
Precinct 1 includes areas east of Buda and Kyle extends to San Marcos.
- DEMOCRATS: Alyssa Ramirez, Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe*
- REPUBLICANS: None
Precinct 3 extends from San Marcos to Wimberley and west of Dripping Springs.
- DEMOCRATS: Rebecca Minnick
- REPUBLICANS: Teresa Shell, Morgan Hammer
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, Place 1
- DEMOCRATS: Nicholas “Nico” Costilla, Jo Anne Prado*
- REPUBLICANS: None
Precinct 2, Place 2
- DEMOCRATS: Amanda K. Calvert, J.R. Mendoza*, Janie Flores, Paul Hill, Andrea “Dre” Villescaz
- REPUBLICANS: None
Hays County constables: Constables are an elected law enforcement officer for a precinct of a county.
Precinct 1
- DEMOCRATS: David Lois Peterson*, Lorenzo Gonzalez
- REPUBLICANS: None
Precinct 2
- DEMOCRATS: Michael Torres*
- REPUBLICANS: David L. Saenz, Sr.
Precinct 3
- DEMOCRATS: None
- REPUBLICANS: Don Montague*
Precinct 4
- DEMOCRATS: None
- REPUBLICANS: Dave Graham, Ben Gieselman
Precinct 5
- DEMOCRATS: None
- REPUBLICANS: John Ellen*
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