Today, May 16, marks day one of early voting for the Texas Primary Runoff Elections! Many elections in Texas, particularly for seats in the Texas Senate and House, are decided during the Primary Election and not during the November General Election.
ATTENTION TRTA MEMBERS IN DISTRICTS WITH A RUNOFF: The power is in your hands! Many of these seats can be decided by the educator population in these districts. The recent decision by the Texas Supreme Court was a blow to public education and it demonstrates the absolute need to elect legislators who care about educators, public education and retired school employees! Contact your friends, fellow retirees and local ISD leaders, and ask whom they may be voting for and why. Make your commitment to voting by electing people who care about the issues we believe in.
Even fewer voters participate in a runoff election than in a primary election! Every vote matters in runoff elections, and your vote can change the outcome of an election. In these runoff races, the power of your vote is exponentially increased!
Many races now have narrowed down the list of candidates for the Republican and Democratic seats to one contender, but there are several runoff elections in which our members need to vote. See below for a list of political races TRTA is watching closely. A complete list of runoff races can be found here.
Mark your calendars and make a plan to get out and vote! Early voting began today, and will continue through Friday, May 20. The Primary Runoff Elections will be held on Tuesday, May 24, 2016. Details about mail-in ballots and voter registration can be found here. Learn more about early voting locations at this link.
Runoff Elections to Watch
TRTA is following several runoff races very closely. We encourage our members who live in these areas to VOTE EARLY! If you do not live in these areas, but have friends, family members or former colleagues who do, please forward this information to them and ask them to please VOTE!
Texas Senate Primary Runoff Races
Senate District 1
Senator Kevin Eltife is retiring. Republican candidates facing each other in the primary runoff are: Bryan Hughes and David Simpson. There are no Democratic candidates vying for this seat.
Senate District 24
Senator Troy Fraser is retiring. Republican candidates facing each other in the primary runoff are: Dawn Buckingham and Susan King. Democratic candidate Virginia Leeder won the Democratic primary.
Texas House Primary Runoff Races
House District 5
Representative Bryan Hughes has stepped down to run for the Texas Senate. The following Republican candidates will face each other in the primary runoff election: Cole Hefner and Jay Misenheimer. There are no Democratic candidates vying for this seat.
House District 18
Representative John Otto is retiring. The following Republican candidates will face each other in the primary runoff election: Ernest Bailes and Keith Strahan. There are no Democratic candidates vying for this seat.
Representative Ron Reynolds faces challenger Angelique Bartholomew in the Democratic primary runoff. Ken Bryant won the Republican primary.
The following Republican candidates face each other in the primary runoff election: Justin Holland and John Keating. Karen Jacobs won the Democratic primary.
House District 54
Representative Jimmie Don Aycock is retiring. The following Republican candidates face each other in the primary runoff election: Austin Ruiz and Scott Cosper. Sandra Blankenship won the Democratic primary.
The following Republican candidates face each other in the primary runoff election: Read King and Lynn Stucky. Connor Flanagan won the Democratic primary.
House District 73
Representative Doug Miller faces challenger Kyle Biedermann in the Republican primary runoff. There are no Democratic candidates vying for this seat.
The following Democratic candidates face each other in the primary runoff election: Barbara Gervin-Hawkins and Mario Salas. There is no Republican candidate vying for this seat.
House District 128
Representative Wayne Smith faces challenger Briscoe Cain in the Republican primary runoff. There are no Democratic candidates vying for this seat.
The following Democratic candidates face each other in the primary runoff election: Jarvis D. Johnson and Kimberly Willis.
Thank You
Thank you for being a member of TRTA! If you are not a member and are interested in joining, please contact our Membership Department at 1.800.880.1650.
Protecting your retirement benefits is one of TRTA’s top priorities, and your participation makes all the difference! Be sure to stay tuned to our other digital mediums to stay informed on all the latest news and updates. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
