What you need to know for Tuesday’s primary runoff elections in Texas

AUSTIN — Tuesday’s primary runoffs — originally scheduled for May 26 but postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic — have arrived.

State officials had hoped the novel coronavirus would be past us at this point and it would be much safer for people to vote in-person. But in recent weeks, the virus has hit Texas hard, reaching record new cases and deaths statewide and in Dallas County.

Here’s what you need to know before heading to the polls.

What precautions are elections officials taking to protect me? Can I vote by mail?

The safety of the elections was debated leading up to the runoff. Democrats sued for everyone to be allowed to vote by mail. Republicans resisted, saying the virus would subside by now and that Texas law did not allow expanded mail voting.

The Texas Supreme Court ultimately decided that a lack of immunity to COVID-19 alone did not qualify a person to vote by mail through the state election code’s disability clause. Another illness or physical condition was needed. But neither the court nor state election officials gave any clarity on what those conditions would be.

That left it up to voters to decide whether they had a disability that counted. Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican who opposed mail voting expansion, further complicated the issue when he said he would prosecute those who vote who do not have a qualifying disability and those who advise them to do so.

Democrats, who also lost their fight for mail voting expansion at a federal appeals court, have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up their case before the November elections.

Some voters are considering not casting ballots because of the pandemic. For those who do want to vote, local elections officials have beefed up safety measures.

They are requiring voters to self-screen at home for any symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, shortness of breath or coughing. If voters exhibit any signs of infection, election officials advise to try curbside voting by calling their elections administrator.

Masks will be strongly encouraged but not required at polling locations in Dallas and surrounding counties, and officials are aiming to make voting as “contactless” as possible by providing finger cots and Q-tips for voters to use on voting machines. Six feet of social distance will be required between voters.

For more information on the minimum safety requirements issued by Secretary of State Ruth R. Hughs, click here.

But elections officials urge voters to remember: While not everyone qualifies for mail voting, those who do, like people over 65 and those who have previously used a disability to cast a mail ballot, should take advantage of that option. They say it’s the safest way to do so.

Am I registered to vote?

You can check your registration status at the Texas Secretary of State’s website.

When can I vote?

Polls open Tuesday at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. If you are in line by 7 p.m. you are entitled to vote.

If I voted in the Republican primary, can I vote in a Democratic runoff and vice versa?

No. You can only vote in runoffs of the party you voted for in the March primary.

What’s on the ballot?

Statewide: The top race is the runoff for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination. Voters will decide between two Democrats struggling to establish themselves as household names as they battle for the party’s nomination to oppose three-term GOP Sen. John Cornyn in the fall.

Among those polled who have heard of the two runoff contestants, MJ Hegar, a decorated Air Force rescue helicopter pilot and former congressional candidate from Round Rock in Central Texas, has had a persistent but not overwhelming lead over state Sen. Royce West, who has represented Dallas in the Texas Senate for nearly three decades.

Hegar finished first in a 12-way March primary and has the most money. She’s getting last-minute help through TV ads paid for by outside groups such as the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in Washington, VoteVets and EMILY’s List, a political action committee that supports female Democratic candidates who support abortion rights.

As one of Texas’ most durable Black politicians, though, West is hoping the protests and debate of policing and racial inequity inspired by the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police will help him cut into Hegar’s conventional advantages.

He’s lightly funded but has grabbed the endorsements of virtually all of the also-rans in the Democratic primary – most notably, third-place finisher Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, the labor organizer from Austin. Also backing West are the Congressional Black Caucus and former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean’s Democracy for America PAC.

Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, El Paso Rep. Veronica Escobar and a slew of gun-control advocacy groups, meanwhile, have endorsed Hegar.

Looking to November, Cornyn has $14.5 million in the bank – far more than Hegar ($1.6 million) or West ($160,000). Cornyn’s poll numbers are unimpressive, though. If national Democrats decide he can be taken out, Tuesday’s pick could reduce the fundraising deficit fast.

In another statewide race, voters will pick a Democratic nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission. Former Rep. Roberto Alonzo of Dallas faces Dallas lawyer Chrysta Castañeda.

24th Congressional District: In North Texas, the marquee matchup is the Democratic runoff in the race to replace retiring Rep. Kenny Marchant, R-Coppell. Former Carrollton-Farmers Branch school trustee Candace Valenzuela is battling former Air Force Col. Kim Olson. The winner will face former Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne, a Republican, in what’s expected to be one of the most competitive House races this fall.

3rd Congressional District: Democrats Sean McCaffity and Lulu Seikaly are squaring off for the right to take on Plano Rep. Van Taylor, a freshman Republican. The winner in the Democratic runoff will face an uphill climb in what’s historically been a GOP district.

17th Congressional District: Farther afield, a couple GOP runoffs will effectively pick new members of Congress. In Central Texas, former Dallas Rep. Pete Sessions is looking to revive his political career just two years after being voted out of office. He’s vying against businesswoman Renee Swann in a runoff in a district where Rep. Bill Flores, R-Bryan, is retiring. The GOP victor will be a heavy favorite in November.

13th Congressional District: In the Panhandle, President Donald Trump’s near-flawless endorsement record will be tested as his pick, former White House doctor Ronny Jackson, competes against cattle industry lobbyist Josh Winegarner, who’s backed by the district’s retiring Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon.

The sprawling district is perhaps the most conservative in the country, meaning that the GOP runoff winner is all but assured a spot in the U.S. House.

The runoffs will also settle some key North Texas statehouse races. They include several where GOP incumbents are being targeted by challengers to the right and one Rio Grande Valley Senate seat where a long-time Democratic incumbent is being targeted from the left.

House District 100: Rep. Lorraine Birabil, D-Dallas, who won a special election to fill the remaining term of former state Rep. Eric Johnson, now Dallas mayor, is running against Dallas lawyer Jasmine Crockett in a district that runs from West Dallas to Mesquite.

House District 67: Attorney Tom Adair is facing off against real estate agent Lorenzo Sanchez for the Democratic nomination to challenge GOP incumbent Rep. Jeff Leach in Collin County. Leach, a four-term incumbent, is one of the Democrats’ top targets in November and is taking the challenge seriously. He’s often among the Texas House’s top fundraisers.

Adair touts his experience as a lawyer and a congressional aide to a Republican congressman as proof that he has the know-how to get things done and the temperament to work across the aisle, while Sanchez, who was raised in Plano, emphasizes his deep roots in the district and his grassroots support.

House District 2: In one of several races in which Gov. Greg Abbott has jumped in to support incumbents over challengers linked to the conservative activist group Empower Texans, state Rep. Dan Flynn is looking to hold off his perennial GOP challenger Bryan Slaton. Flynn, a nine-term incumbent, is looking to fight off businessman Slaton by tying him to Empower Texans, a group that recently made news for mocking Abbott for being in a wheelchair. Slaton pitches himself as a true conservative running against an incumbent that has been won over by special interests after more than a decade in office.

House District 59: GOP incumbent Rep. J.D. Sheffield is trying to claw back from a 15-point deficit to challenger Shelby Slawson in March for the district anchored by Erath County. Slawson won far more of the votes but did not manage the majority in a three-candidate race. Sheffield, a moderate and an ally of former House Speaker Joe Straus, hopes a recent ad with Abbott touting Sheffield’s “front line” efforts as a doctor on the pandemic front will help. Slawson is pitching herself as a more conservative option than Sheffield, who she calls one of most liberal Republicans in the chamber.

House District 60: The divide between Empower Texans and Abbott is perhaps felt most keenly in this open seat race for a district that stretches from Granbury nearly to Abilene. One GOP candidate is Jon Francis, the son-in-law of fracking billionaires Francis Wilks and his wife, JoAnn, who are major funders to Empower Texans. The couple have given Francis more than $1.1 million -- 82% of the nearly $1.4 million he’s raised. The other candidate, Palo Pinto County rancher and veterinarian Glenn Rogers, says his roots in the district and understanding of the district make him a better pitch for its constituents.

He’s recently received a boost in the form of an Abbott campaign ad. But Francis has slammed him for not being conservative enough and pointed to issues like not supporting “constitutional carry.” Rogers has responded, deriding Francis as an out-of-towner trying to buy a legislative seat, and saying that not all lawmakers have to adhere to Francis’ vision of conservatism.

27th Senate District: In South Texas longtime Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. is fighting to hold onto his seat against Democratic challenger Sara Stapleton-Barrera, an attorney running to his left. The top issue in the race is Lucio’s voting record: he has often sided with ruling Republicans on contentious social issues such as abortion and LGBT rights.

Where can I vote?

You can find out where to vote at the Texas Secretary of State’s website. You’ll need to enter your name, date of birth and your county of residence. Some counties, like Dallas and Collin, have voting centers where any voter from that county can cast their ballot.

What do I need to vote?

Any of these forms of identification:

• Texas driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
• Texas personal identification card issued by DPS.
• Texas handgun license issued by DPS.
• U.S. military identification card containing the person's photograph.
• U.S. citizenship certificate containing the person's photograph.
• U.S. passport (book or card).
• Texas election identification certificate issued by DPS.

If you do not have one of these, you may vote if you sign a declaration of impediment at the polls explaining why you are “reasonably unable to obtain” one of the forms and if you bring one of these pieces of supporting documentation:

• Copy or original of a government document that shows the voter's name and an address, including the voter's voter registration certificate.
• Copy of or original current utility bill.
• Copy of or original bank statement.
• Copy of or original government check.
• Copy of or original paycheck.
• Copy of or original certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law that establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document).