The March 2026 Primary Election

A primary election is an initial round of voting where voters choose which candidate will represent a specific political party in the upcoming general election. Think of it as the “nomination phase.” It narrows down a field of candidates to just one from each party. You can only vote in one party’s primary per election cycle.

Your vote often matters more in a primary than in the fall election because a smaller share of people vote, and because of gerrymandering and noncompetitive elections. In Texas, who’ll run the state is usually decided in the spring primary election! Unless you live in one of the rare House districts with a relatively even partisan balance, your best way of impacting Texas legislative and congressional elections is by voting in the primary.

Prepare to make informed decisions by learning about the candidates.

Deadlines to keep in mind for the election:

• Monday, February 2, 2026 – Last day to register to vote or make a change of address to be able to vote in the primary
• Tuesday, February 17, 2026 – First day of early voting
• Friday, February 27, 2026 – Last day of early voting
• Tuesday, March 3, 2026 – Primary Election Day

Important information regarding mail-in ballots

• Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. Last day to Receive Ballot by Mail if carrier envelope is not postmarked, OR Wednesday, March 4, 2026 (next business day after Election Day) at 5:00 p.m. if carrier envelope is postmarked by 7:00 p.m. on March 3. If mailed, your ballot hand cancelled.
• Important note about mailing ballots: U.S. Postmaster General David Steiner acknowledged the new regulation and transportation operations had sparked “a lot of confusion,” about speed at which mail is delivered. Steiner recently urged the election officials to inform voters that they can request manual postmarks at post offices with a date that reflects when the ballot was mailed. He promised that the agency would continue to take steps to prioritize the timely delivery of election mail, but said voters need to mail ballots at least a week before the receipt deadline, election day. “We want to make sure that every ballot is delivered, and mailing early is a big part of that,” he said. Refer to Postmarking Myths and Facts.

Next election

If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the primary, the top two vote-getters will compete in a runoff. Of note: whichever primary you decide to vote in, you can vote only in that same party’s runoff.

You can, however, vote for either party’s candidates in the general election in November.  

• Tuesday, May 26, 2026 – Runoff Election

Georgia Kimmel, Public Policy Chair
AAUW West Harris County & AAUW Texas