2026 is a midterm elections year. In Texas, this means that many terms are over and offices are up for election. Most notably, the seat for governor of the state is open, along with a seat in the U.S. Senate and other state and local offices.
You might be questioning whether or not you should go vote, or if you should even register, and if you ask me, my answer is always YES.
- To check your voter registration status, go here. (If you registered recently and your information is not appearing, give it a couple of days for it to process.)
- To register to vote, go here.
Many young voters are discouraged from voting because the process is so overwhelming, and it takes a lot of research to make an educated decision. I know I was (and sometimes still am) overloaded with information, but I also know voting is an important part of change. If we want to live in a better city, county, state, or country, we need to make our voices heard, and one way to do that is by voting.
In the process, you might ask yourself, “What even is the point of voting?” or “My vote doesn’t make a difference, so why should I go?”, and while those questions are valid, that is not the case at all. As little as one vote can change the trajectory of an entire city or county. Especially in municipal elections, every vote counts.
With the intention of simplifying your research process, I’ve compiled general information that Texas voters (first-time and experienced) may need in the upcoming Texas Primary Elections on March 3.
P.S. Most of the information is specific to Tarrant County; however, there are also many statewide offices up for election that I’ve included.
Background Information
What are primary elections and why are they important?
Primary elections allow a political party to choose the candidate that will represent it in the general elections in November. In Texas, we have open primaries, which means any voter can vote for any party’s candidate, regardless of the party they’re registered under. However, voters are still only allowed to vote for one party in that year’s primary and runoff. This means you’ll either get a ballot with only Democratic candidates and propositions or one with only Republican ones.
The winners of these elections will be the candidates on the ballot in the general elections. For this to happen, a candidate must receive a majority of votes. If this does not happen, the top two voters will face each other in the runoff elections, which will be held on May 26, 2026.
With that said, primary elections are important because they give you the opportunity to choose who you want to vote for, instead of having to vote for someone you only partially agree with.
Many voters do not participate in these elections simply because they seem unimportant, but because of the low number of votes, votes in the primary matter even more!
If you’d like to learn more about the Texas 2026 primary elections, check out this other article: it contains tools to help you understand your congressional district and see what current state lawmakers have done and voted for in the Capitol.
What’s on my ballot?
I will preface this by saying that the Tarrant County Voter Lookup website will be your best friend as a Tarrant County voter in any election. It has so much personalized information about elections, like voting locations, sample ballots, and most importantly, your elected officials at the municipal, state, and country levels. I recommend bookmarking the website and referring to it anytime you have questions. Also, make a note of what districts you belong to and what elected officials serve you, so you know what to expect.
Ballots differ by district because, while some lawmakers’ terms may be up, other officials were just elected this past November.
Here are the general offices up for election in Texas:
- U.S. Senator (John Cornyn’s seat)
- All U.S. Representatives
- Governor
- Lieutenant Governor
- Attorney general
- Comptroller of Public Accounts
- Commissioner of General Land Office
- Commissioner of Agriculture
- Railroad Commissioner
- Texas Supreme Court
- All State Representative
- Justice of the Peace
Tarrant County only:
- County Clerk
- District Attorney
- District Clerk
- County Judge
- Precinct 2 County Commissioners
- Precinct 4 County Commissioners
Aside from the election of officials, each party will be voting on propositions. To see the specific propositions your party will be voting on and what candidates are in each office, you’ll need to download a sample ballot on the Tarrant County Voter Lookup site.
When and where are the primary elections?
Early voting for the primaries begins on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, and goes until Friday, February 27, 2026. Election day will be on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at various voting locations. The Tarrant County Voter Lookup website includes information on where voting will take place closest to you. For TCU, the closest location open on Election Day is R.L. Paschal High School (3001 Forest Park Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76110).
Research and Resources
Now that you know when and where you need to vote, which offices you’ll be voting for, and why primaries are important, what now? Research, research, research!
This is the tedious part about voting. You can’t just show up to your polling location on Election Day and vote for random people. If you do, you’d be doing yourself a disservice because you deserve elected officials who align with your values, but you’ll never know who those people are unless you do your research on the candidates.
Again, the Tarrant County Voter Lookup will give you information on the current officials in office, and based on that, you can look up the candidates for each of them.
Lucky for you, there are tons of people who love to read policies, conduct research, and summarize information for those who may not have the time or energy to sit through dozens of candidates’ websites and read policies and other stances written in difficult technical jargon.
1. Ballotpedia
As I was gathering information for this article, Ballotpedia proved to be a reliable hub of information relating to elections. The nonpartisan platform allows you to look up information on any election, office, and candidate in a short amount of time.
Note: while you are researching and finalizing your decisions, it is best to do this on a piece of paper so you can take it with you when you vote. The State of Texas does not allow electronic devices inside the voting booth, but you are allowed to take your paper notes in with you.
2. TikTok
Another resource is TikTok. While many believe TikTok is an unreliable source of information, many TikTok users are doing the same work Ballotpedia is, except they’re targeting the younger generations to help them digest the information. While I would not make TikTok the primary source for your research, due to bias and a high risk of misinformation, it is a great way to start your research and learn background information on candidates.
3. Google
Lastly, Google. There’s nothing a quick Google search can’t solve. Many news outlets are also gathering information from candidates and offices to make it easier for voters to make their decisions. You can go through and manually check all of the candidates’ websites and make your own cheat sheet.
Doing research is not an easy task. It takes time and energy, and it may feel overwhelming at first, but the research you do will serve as a tool for you to make your voice heard.
If you weren’t able to register to vote in time for the primaries, don’t worry. You can still make your voice heard in the midterm elections. You can register to vote here (the last day to do so for the midterms is October 5, 2026). In Texas, all voter registration applications must be submitted by mail. You will need to request a physical application and mail it back once you have filled it out. There are also organizations on campus, like MOVE Texas TCU, that host tabling events every once in a while and allow you to register to vote on the spot.
Words of Encouragement
I know it can feel frustrating to see elected officials make decisions and do things that are not for the benefit of the people they represent. I know it can feel daunting to see what’s happening on the news and be unable to move on with your day. That is why we need to go out there and vote.
As helpless as you may feel, there are actions you can take today to help the fight for justice. You can canvas for candidates you feel strongly about, attend peaceful protests, donate to campaigns and non-profits, call your elected officials and voice your concerns, sign up to be an election poll worker, or simply share information with friends and family on social media and encourage them to vote, if they can. Anything helps.
In the process of doing so, always make sure you are taking care of yourself. Joy and creativity are the greatest forms of resistance. So, practice your self-care: read a book, watch a movie, journal, scrapbook, take a walk, call a friend, work out, eat, sleep, and repeat. Do what makes you happy.
What matters is that we do it as a community. We are stronger together. When we fight, we win.
Send this to your friends, make a plan, and go out there and make your voice heard!
Here’s a short version of just links that might be useful for you to have and share with others.