2020 Texas elections
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Elections in Texas |
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Texas state elections in 2020 were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Its primaries were held on March 3, 2020, with runoffs taking place on July 14.[1]
In addition to the U.S. presidential race, Texas voters elected the Class II U.S. senator from Texas, 1 of 3 members of the Texas Railroad Commission, 8 of 15 members of the Texas Board of Education, all of its seats to the House of Representatives, 4 of 9 seats on the Supreme Court of Texas, 3 of 9 seats on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, 21 of 80 seats on the Texas Appellate Courts, all of the seats of the Texas House of Representatives and 17 of 34 seats in the Texas State Senate.
To vote by mail, registered Texas voters had to request a ballot by October 23, 2020.[2] After the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bid to expand eligibility for requesting postal ballots,[3] postal ballots were available only to voters over 65, those sick or disabled, those who were out of their county on election day and those who were in jail (and otherwise eligible to vote), as defined by Texas law.[4]
Federal offices
President of the United States
Texas has 38 electoral votes in the Electoral College.
United States Class II Senate Seat
United States House of Representatives
There were 36 U.S. Representatives in Texas up for election in addition to 6 open seats.[5]
Railroad Commission
Republican primary
- Nominee
- Eliminated in primary
- Ryan Sitton (incumbent and chair of the commission)[7][8]
- Primary Results
Republican primary results[9] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | James Wright | 991,593 | 55.3% |
| Republican | Ryan Sitton | 801,904 | 44.7% |
Total votes | 1,793,497 | 100% |
Democratic primary
- Nominee
- Eliminated in runoff
- Eliminated in primary
- Runoff Election Primary Results
Democratic primary runoff results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Chrysta Castañeda | 579,698 | 62.0% |
| Democratic | Roberto Alonzo | 355,053 | 38.0% |
Total votes | 934,751 | 100% |
- Primary Results
Democratic primary results[10] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Chrysta Castañeda | 598,638 | 33.8% |
| Democratic | Roberto Alonzo | 506,748 | 28.7% |
| Democratic | Kelly Stone | 383,453 | 21.7% |
| Democratic | Mark Watson | 279,911 | 15.8% |
Total votes | 1,768,750 | 100% |
Other candidates
- Katija "Kat" Gruene (Green) (aka Kat Swift) (nominee)[6]
- Matt Sterett (Libertarian) (nominee)[6]
- Charlie Stevens (Libertarian) (defeated at party convention)[7]
Polling
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Jim Wright (R) | Chrysta Castañeda (D) | Matt Sterett (L) | Other | Undecided |
YouGov/University of Houston | Oct 13–20, 2020 | 1,000 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 47% | 38% | 3% | 1%[b] | 11% |
Data for Progress/Texas Youth Power Alliance | Aug 20–25, 2020 | 2,295 (LV) | ± 2.0% | 39% | 33% | – | – | 25% |
Global Strategy Group/Chrysta for Texas[A] | Aug 11-13, 2020 | 700 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 37% | 31% | 8% | – | 24% |
Results
2020 Texas Railroad Commission election[11] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Republican | James Wright | 5,831,263 | 53.01% | -5.26% |
| Democratic | Chrysta Castañeda | 4,792,422 | 43.56% | +7.04% |
| Libertarian | Matt Sterett | 247,659 | 2.25% | -0.9% |
| Green | Katija "Kat" Gruene (aka Kat Swift) | 129,638 | 1.18% | -0.86% |
Total votes | 11,000,982 | 100.0% | |
State Board of Education
8 of 15 seats of the Texas Board of Education were up for election. Before the election the composition of that board was:
Party | # of seats | | Republican | 10 | | Democratic | 5 | Total | 15 | |
Member, District 1
Republican primary
Republican primary results[12] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Jennifer Ivey | 58,015 | 100% |
Total votes | 58,015 | 100% |
Democratic primary
Democratic primary results[12] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Georgina C. Pérez (incumbent) | 111,214 | 100% |
Total votes | 111,214 | 100% |
General election
General election results[12] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Georgina C. Pérez (incumbent) | 287,623 | 55.77% |
| Republican | Jennifer Ivey | 228,140 | 44.23% |
Total votes | 515,763 | 100% |
Member, District 5
Republican primary
Republican primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Robert Morrow | 54,460 | 40.0% |
| Republican | Lani Popp | 46,276 | 33.99% |
| Republican | Inga Cotton | 35,425 | 26.01% |
Total votes | 136,161 | 100% |
Republican primary runoff results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Lani Popp | 55,990 | 77.96% |
| Republican | Robert Morrow | 15,827 | 22.04% |
Total votes | 71,817 | 100% |
Democratic primary
Democratic primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Rebecca Bell-Metereau | 143,351 | 68.51% |
| Democratic | Letti Bresnahan | 65,885 | 31.49% |
Total votes | 209,236 | 100% |
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Libertarian | Stephanie Berlin | | |
Total votes | | 100% |
General election
General election results[12] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Rebecca Bell-Metereau | 493,930 | 48.94% |
| Republican | Lani Popp | 475,824 | 47.15% |
| Libertarian | Stephanie Berlin | 39,456 | 3.91% |
Total votes | 1,009,210 | 100% |
| Democratic gain from Republican |
Member, District 6
Republican primary
Republican primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Will Hickman | 88,900 | 100% |
Total votes | 88,900 | 100% |
Democratic primary
Democratic primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Michelle Palmer | 51,778 | 46.68% |
| Democratic | Kimberly McLeod | 38,439 | 34.65% |
| Democratic | Debra Kerner | 20,712 | 18.67% |
Total votes | 110,929 | 100% |
Democratic primary runoff results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Michelle Palmer | 39,757 | 64.23% |
| Democratic | Kimberly McLeod | 22,139 | 35.77% |
Total votes | 61,896 | 100% |
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Libertarian | Whitney Bilyeu | | |
Total votes | | 100% |
General election
General election results[12] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Will Hickman | 371,958 | 49.76% |
| Democratic | Michelle Palmer | 354,179 | 47.38% |
| Libertarian | Whitney Bilyeu | 21,414 | 2.86% |
Total votes | 747,551 | 100% |
Member, District 8
Republican primary
Republican primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Audrey Young | 143,209 | 100% |
Total votes | 143,209 | 100% |
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Libertarian | Audra Rose Berry | | |
Total votes | | 100% |
General election
General election results[12] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Audrey Young | 567,058 | 73.4% |
| Libertarian | Audra Rose Berry | 205,187 | 26.6% |
Total votes | 772,245 | 100% |
Member, District 9
Republican primary
Republican primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Keven Ellis | 208,202 | 100% |
Total votes | 208,202 | 100% |
Democratic primary
Democratic primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Brenda Davis | 62,632 | 100% |
Total votes | 62,632 | 100% |
General election
General election results[12] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Keven Ellis (incumbent) | 571,322 | 74.7% |
| Democratic | Brenda Davis | 193,364 | 25.3% |
Total votes | 764,686 | 100% |
Member, District 10
Republican primary
Republican primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Tom Maynard | 134,760 | 100% |
Total votes | 134,760 | 100% |
Democratic primary
Democratic primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Marsha Burnett-Webster | 133,862 | 84.5% |
| Democratic | Stephen Wyman | 24,549 | 15.5% |
Total votes | 158,411 | 100% |
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Libertarian | Trip Seibold | | |
Total votes | | 100% |
General election
General election results[12] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Tom Maynard (incumbent) | 441,700 | 50.8% |
| Democratic | Marsha Burnett-Webster | 398,453 | 45.9% |
| Libertarian | Trip Seibold | 28,603 | 3.3% |
Total votes | 868,756 | 100% |
Member, District 14
Republican primary
Republican primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Sue Melton-Malone | 108,389 | 61.1% |
| Republican | Maria Berry | 69,048 | 38.9% |
Total votes | 177,437 | 100% |
Democratic primary
Democratic primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Greg Alvord | 81,833 | 100% |
Total votes | 81,833 | 100% |
General election
General election results[12] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Sue Melton-Malone (incumbent) | 582,027 | 67.8% |
| Democratic | Greg Alvord | 276,303 | 32.2% |
Total votes | 858,330 | 100% |
Member, District 15
Republican primary
Republican primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Jay Johnson | 190,677 | 100% |
Total votes | 190,677 | 100% |
Democratic primary
Democratic primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | John Betancourt | 42,234 | 100% |
Total votes | 42,234 | 100% |
General election
General election results[12] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Jay Johnson | 496,080 | 77.8% |
| Democratic | John Betancourt | 141,675 | 22.2% |
Total votes | 637,755 | 100% |
State Judiciary
Each of the state's two courts of last resort have 9 seats, all of which are currently occupied by Republican incumbents.[13]
Supreme Court Chief Justice
Republican primary
Candidates
- Nathan Hecht, incumbent chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas
Results
Republican primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Nathan Hecht (incumbent) | 1,718,096 | 100.0% |
Total votes | 1,718,096 | 100.0% |
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Amy Clark Meachum, Travis County district judge[14]
- Jerry Zimmerrer, incumbent Associate Justice of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals of Texas[14]
Results
Democratic primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Amy Clark Meachum | 1,434,175 | 80.51% |
| Democratic | Jerry Zimmerrer | 347,186 | 19.49% |
Total votes | 1,781,361 | 100.0% |
General election
Polling
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Nathan Hecht (R) | Amy Clark Meachum (D) | Other | Undecided |
YouGov/University of Houston | October 13–20, 2020 | 1,000 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 48% | 40% | 3%[c] | 9% |
Results
2020 Texas Supreme Court, Chief Justice election[11] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Republican | Nathan Hecht (incumbent) | 5,827,085 | 52.98% | -6.71% |
| Democratic | Amy Clark Meachum | 4,893,402 | 44.49% | +7.24% |
| Libertarian | Mark Ash | 277,491 | 2.52% | -0.54% |
Total votes | 10,997,978 | 100.0% | |
| Republican hold |
Supreme Court Place 6
Republican primary
Candidates
- Jane Bland, incumbent Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas
Results
Republican primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Jane Bland (incumbent) | 1,699,236 | 100.0% |
Total votes | 1,699,236 | 100.0% |
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Kathy Cheng, attorney and nominee for Supreme Court of Texas in 2018[15]
- Larry Praeger, former prosecutor[15]
Results
Democratic primary results Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Kathy Cheng | 1,310,598 | 74.52% |
| Democratic | Larry Praeger | 448,114 | 25.48% |
Total votes | 1,758,712 | 100.0% |
General election
Polling
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Jane Bland (R) | Kathy Cheng (D) | Undecided |
YouGov/University of Houston | October 13–20, 2020 | 1,000 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 49% | 40% | 11% |
Results
2020 Texas Supreme Court, Place 6 election[11] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Republican | Jane Bland (incumbent) | 6,050,534 | 55.24% | -5.08% |
| Democratic | Kathy Cheng | 4,903,527 | 44.76% | +8.27% |
Total votes | 10,954,061 | 100.0% | |
| Republican hold |
- Court of Appeals Place 3
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Bert Richardson (R) | Elizabeth Davis Frizell (D) | Undecided |
YouGov/University of Houston | Oct 13–20, 2020 | 1,000 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 48% | 38% | 14% |
Texas Supreme Court, Place 7[11] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Republican | Jeffrey S. Boyd (I) | 5,843,420 | 53.31% | -5.59% |
| Democratic | Staci Williams | 4,861,649 | 44.35% | +6.75% |
| Libertarian | William Bryan Strange | 256,742 | 2.34% | -0.41% |
Total votes | 10,961,811 | 100.0% | |
Texas Supreme Court, Place 8[11] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Republican | Brett Busby (I) | 5,847,135 | 53.4% | -25.4% |
| Democratic | Gisela Triana | 4,826,674 | 44.08% | N/A |
| Libertarian | Tom Oxford | 274,959 | 2.52% | -9.44% |
Total votes | 10,948,768 | 100.0% | |
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3[11] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Republican | Bert Richardson (I) | 5,953,924 | 54.53% | -5.32% |
| Democratic | Elizabeth Davis Frizell | 4,964,460 | 45.47% | +8.93% |
Total votes | 10,918,384 | 100.0% | |
Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 4[11] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Republican | Kevin Patrick Yeary (I) | 5,974,016 | 54.82% | -21.4% |
| Democratic | Tina Yoo Clinton | 4,924,207 | 45.18% | N/A |
Total votes | 10,898,223 | 100.0% | |
Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9[11] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Republican | David Newell (I) | 6,015,909 | 55.3% | -22.99% |
| Democratic | Brandon Birmingham | 4,863,142 | 44.7% | N/A |
Total votes | 10,879,051 | 100.0% | |
State legislature
All 150 seats of the Texas House of Representatives and 16 of 31 seats of the Texas State Senate were up for election.
State senate
Before the election, the composition of the state senate was:
Party | # of seats |
| Republican | 19 |
| Democratic | 12 |
Total | 31 |
After the election, the composition of the state senate was:
Party | # of seats |
| Republican | 18 |
| Democratic | 13 |
Total | 31 |
House of Representatives
Before and after the election, the composition of the state house was:
Party | # of seats |
| Republican | 83 |
| Democratic | 67 |
Total | 150 |
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - ^ Gruene (G) with 1%
- ^ Mark Ash (L) with 3%
- Partisan clients
- ^ Poll sponsored by Castañeda's campaign
References
- ^ "Texas elections, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- ^ Lily Hay Newman (August 27, 2020), "How to Vote by Mail and Make Sure It Counts", Wired.com, archived from the original on October 6, 2020
- ^ Ura, Alexa (June 26, 2020). "U.S. Supreme Court declines Texas Democrats' request to allow all Texans to vote by mail". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ^ Application for a Ballot by Mail
- ^ "Live: Texas State Primary Election Results 2020". The New York Times. June 29, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Candidate Information". Texas Secretary of State. August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Texas Railroad Commissioner election, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ Sitton, Ryan. "Ryan Sitton, Ballotpedia". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "James Wright, Ballotpedia". Ballotpedia. Ballopedia. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ "Chrysta Castaneda, Ballotpedia". Ballotpedia.com. Ballopedia. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Official Canvass Report - 2020 November 3rd General Election" (PDF). Texas Secretary of State. November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Texas 2020 election results". November 3, 2020.
- ^ Pollock, Cassandra (July 13, 2020). "Republican Party of Texas leaders opt for virtual convention after loss at state Supreme Court". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ a b Lindell, Chuck (February 17, 2020). "Suddenly, Democrats flush with candidates for 2 top courts". Austin American-Statesman.
- ^ a b "We recommend Larry Praeger in Democratic primary for Supreme Court, Place 6 [Editorial]". The Houston Chronicle. February 14, 2020.
- ^ Brent Kendall; Alexa Corse (October 11, 2020), "Pennsylvania, Texas and Ohio See Court Rulings Over Mail Ballots", The Wall Street Journal,
Both political parties are mounting legal challenges across many states, with mail-in voting at the center
- ^ "Covered Areas for Voting Rights Bilingual Election Materials—2015", Voting Rights Act Amendments of 2006, Determinations Under Section 203, Federal Register, retrieved October 13, 2020,
A Notice by the Census Bureau on 12/05/2016
Further reading
- Nick Corasaniti; Stephanie Saul; Patricia Mazzei (September 13, 2020), "Big Voting Decisions in Florida, Wisconsin, Texas: What They Mean for November", The New York Times, archived from the original on September 13, 2020,
Both parties are waging legal battles around the country over who gets to vote and how
- David Weigel; Lauren Tierney (September 22, 2020), "The 50 political states of America", Washingtonpost.com, archived from the original on October 11, 2020,
Texas
- "Texas governor cuts back on voting locations weeks before election", BBC News, UK, October 1, 2020,
Texas' governor has ordered that voters can drop off their mail-in ballots at only one location per county
- Elise Viebeck (October 2, 2020), "Voting rights advocates sue to block Texas governor's order limiting counties to one ballot drop-off location", Washingtonpost.com
- "US election 2020: Texas judge blocks postal voting restrictions", BBC News, UK, October 10, 2020
- "Voter suppression: At risk of losing Texas, Republicans scheme to limit Democratic votes", Economist.com, October 10, 2020
- Michelle Ye Hee Lee; Amy Gardner; Brittney Martin (October 14, 2020), "Early voting begins in Texas with high turnout, despite new legal developments on voting access", The Washington Post
- Dan Balz (October 18, 2020), "Texas is the most intriguing political state in the country this fall", The Washington Post
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Texas elections, 2020.