Voters will once again head to the polls to cast their ballot in the Democratic and Republican primary runoff races.

Texas is among ten states that conduct runoff elections as part of the political party nomination process. A runoff election is called when no candidate reaches the threshold for victory, which is a majority, 50% plus one vote.

Early voting began Monday, May 16 and continues through Friday, May 20, from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Election Day voting is from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 24.

Texas is an open primary state, meaning that voters do not register with a party and instead cast their ballot in either the Democratic or Republican primary, not both. Additionally, the Texas Election Code states individuals can’t vote for a different party than they voted for in the March primaries.

In the state elections, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and George P. Bush will face each other in the Republican primary runoff for attorney general.

Paxton received 823,199 (42.71%) statewide votes, while Bush, who currently serves as the Commissioner of the General Land Office, received 439,240 (22.79%) statewide votes.

Republican voters will also choose between Tim Westley and Dawn Buckingham for Commissioner of the General Land Office.

The last state race on the Republican ballot is for the Railroad Commission. Sarah Stogner is challenging incumbent Wayne Christian. Stogner made headlines earlier this year after a campaign ad featuring the West Texan native straddling a pumpjack while topless and without pants went viral.

At the county level, incumbent Lynne Finley faces Mike Gould for the Republican nomination for the District Clerk position. Finley came to attention last year after a Collin County Commissioners Court meeting turned contentious with Finley accusing County Judge Chris Hill of “stealing emails.”

Days after the meeting, Hill released a letter containing several allegations against Finley. Hill accused Finley of being responsible for the county’s passport office closing, costing the county approximately $1 million in passport-related revenue.

In the letter, Hill claimed the passport office was closed after a potential conflict of interest between the District Clerk’s office staff and a local passport and visa expediting company was reported. According to the letter, Finley denied the claim, but State Department officials said in an informal conversation that Finley’s demeanor with the State Department was a “significant reason that no resolution was reached.”

Hill also accused Finley of denying accommodations to two county employees with documented underlying health conditions seeking to work from home during the pandemic.

Additionally, Hill claimed Finley was not present at her office in the county facility from March 10, 2020, until September 14, 2020.

Dallas County residents will have one primary race at the county level. Incumbent John F. Warren is opposed by Ann Cruz for the Democratic nomination for County Clerk.

Democratic voters will choose between Michelle Beckley and Mike Collier as the nominee for Lieutenant Governor. Beckley received 30% of the vote in the March primary races while Collier received 41%.

In the Democratic race for the attorney general nomination, Joe Jaworski and Rochelle Mercedes Garza will face each other in May. Statewide totals showed Jaworski with 19.82% of the vote and Garza with 42.97%. However, Jaworski received 34.86% of the vote in Collin County and Garza received 30.48%.

Democratic voters will also decide on the Comptroller of Public Affairs race between Janet T. Dudding and Angel Lois Vega. Dudding received 46.29% of the statewide vote in the primaries and Vega received 34.53%.

Also on the Democratic ballot is the Commissioner of General Land Use Office. Sandragrace Martinez received 31.8% of the statewide vote, while Jay Kleberg received 26.05%.

The last race on the Democratic ballot for Collin County voters is the Democratic Party County Chair. Incumbent Mike Rawlins is being challenged by Caroline Werner. Rawlins received 33% of the vote in March while Werner received 37%.

Polling locations in the area include Collin College Wylie Campus, located at 391 Country Club Road; Sachse City Hall, located at 3815 Sachse Road; and the Murphy Community Center, located at 205 North Murphy Road; however, Collin County voters can cast their ballot at any polling location within the county. For a full list, visit collincounty.gov/elections or dallascountyvotes.org.

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