Yesterday, the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) shared an Inside Line with information about the upcoming Primary Runoff Elections. We received numerous questions about the voting process and hope to provide the answers our members are seeking.
As we mentioned yesterday, there is not a runoff for a State Senate or State Representative seat in every district. If this is the case for you, please be aware that there are still a few runoff elections occurring for statewide offices for which you may still cast a vote.
However, if you voted in the Republican primary earlier this year, you may only vote in the Republican primary runoff (but not a Democratic runoff). Likewise, if you voted in the Democratic primary, you may only vote in the Democratic primary runoff.
We had some members ask if they could vote in a primary runoff if they did not vote at all in the primary election earlier this year. The answer is yes, as long as you are a registered Texas voter, you may still vote in the primary runoff elections for the party of your choice.
If you are not sure if you are registered to vote, please use this link and enter your information. If you are not registered already, the deadline has passed to register to vote for the primary runoff election. You may still register to vote for the November election, and we encourage you to do so. Registration deadlines can be found here and information about how to register can be found here.
Early voting for the primary runoff election begins May 19 and ends on May 23. During early voting, you may vote at any polling location in your county. Check for early voting times and locations on your county voter registrar website. To view a list of all county registrars and their contact information, visit this link.
Votetexas.gov also provides an extensive list of questions and answers about the rules of voting in Texas. Visit this link to learn more.
A special election for Texas State Senate District 4 is being held on May 10 to fill the seat being vacated by State Senator Tommy Williams. Early voting for this special election began on April 28 and will continue through May 6. A list of the candidates can be found here. This special election is occurring because Senator Williams will not continue to serve until his term would normally expire in 2016.
As our members know, TRTA does not endorse candidates and our association leaders do not tell members for whom to vote. However, many of our leaders and other members of TRTA are happy to answer the question “who are you voting for?” Your fellow members are great resources for gathering opinions and additional information about candidates. Call your fellow TRTA members and begin those discussions now!
Please feel free to use the valuable Teach the Vote resource from the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) to review candidates’ responses to important questions about education and TRS as well. Teach the Vote can be found by clicking here.
Thank you for being a member of TRTA. Please continue to share your questions and thoughts with us as we prepare for the primary runoff elections. If you are not a member and want more information about joining, please contact our Membership Department at 1.800.880.1650. Be sure to like our pagina de Facebook for more updates as they happen!
