Voting in the 2018 Primaries
January 17, 2018
The 2018 primary election takes place on March 6, with early voting running February 20 - March 2. This is where voters select the candidate in each party that will run for statewide office in November (when we get to vote again!).
Why vote in the primaries?
Some people write off voting in the primaries, or voting in general, but there are a few reasons to consider doing so (don't worry, "the joy of civic engagement" isn't among them):
- While presidential candidates are a big draw, candidates in state and local elections will be on your ballot in 2018. Much of the policy that has a direct impact on our lives happens at the local level; don't miss this opportunity to select who represents you!
- In some state races, a party is running uncontested; for example, only Republicans and no Democrats may be running for a particular office. This means that whoever wins the primary wins the election. In these cases, don't wait for November to vote for your candidate!
- Once elected, representatives may refer to your voting record (whether you voted in a given election, not who or what you voted for). Rep. Sarah Davis has said that when constituents approach her with concerns, one of the first things she does is check to see if they vote. In other words, your elected officials pay attention to whether you regularly participate in the democratic process.
Unclear on how the primaries work?
- First and foremost, register to vote! The deadline to register for the March primaries is February 5, 2018! If you've changed your name or address since the last time you voted OR you haven't registered in the past 2 years, you must re-register! Not sure if you're registered? Check here.
- Find out who is running in your districts.
- Once early voting gets underway, go to your polling location and cast your ballot. In some states, you register as a member of a particular party (ex: “I’m a registered Republican/ Democrat”). This is not the case in Texas: simply go to your polling place and cast your ballot in either the Republican or Democratic primary—unless you want to vote Libertarian or Green. The Libertarian and Green parties hold conventions, rather than a primary, to select their candidates on April 13-15 and March 13, respectively. Texas is an open primary state, which means that anyone who is registered to vote can participate in any one of these events. However, once you’ve voted in one party's primary you can’t vote in another party's primary or convention, nor can you vote in another party's run-off election, should there be one.
- If you vote in one party’s primary, you do not have to vote for that same party in November. In fact, in the general election, you can vote for a single party or individual candidates from different parties. Your vote in the general election is not restricted in any way by your vote in the primary.
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