Bexar County Democrats will decide their nominee for criminal district attorney. On the state level, nominees for the open attorney general race will be locked down.
SAN ANTONIO — Voters in Bexar County and Texas at large once again have some important decisions to make in primary races that were extended to May runoffs.
Some contests with several candidates didn’t reach the finish line back in March, when meeting the 50% vote threshold was required to lock down a Republican or Democratic nomination outright. Both parties’ contests for Texas attorney general, for instance, are still undecided after no one reached at least 50% of the vote in March.
In those races, the top two vote-getters are meeting head to head when the polls reopen on May 26. By the end of the night, all contests will be set ahead of the November general election.
Read on for everything you need to know before heading to the ballot box. Visit KENS5.com/elections after the polls close at 7 p.m. on May 26 for results and the latest coverage.
Am I registered to vote?
In Texas, the deadline to register to vote is 30 days prior to the election in which you wish to cast a ballot. For the May 26 primary runoffs, that date was April 27.
If you don’t know whether you’re registered to vote, you can check here. Otherwise, it’s too late to register to vote in the Texas primary election.
If you plan to submit your ballot by mail, the deadline for you to register to be able to do so is May 15; your application for a mail-in ballot must have been received by the office no later than that date.
In order to be eligible to vote, you must:
🗳Live in Bexar County
🗳Be a U.S. citizen
🗳Be at least 18 years old on Election Day
🗳Not be a convicted felon (with exceptions for felons who have completed their punishment)
🗳Not have been declared by a court to be mentally incapacitated
Key election dates
Here are the dates you’ll need to know in order to navigate the election process in Bexar County
🗳Monday, April 27: Last day to register to vote
🗳Tuesday, May 18: Early voting begins in Texas
🗳Friday, May 15: Last day to apply to vote by mail
🗳Friday, May 22: Last day of early voting
🗳Tuesday, May 26: Election Day in Texas, last day to receive ballot by mail
Can I vote early?
Yes. Early voting for the runoffs lasts just five days, starting Tuesday, May 18 and running through Friday, May 22.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, just like Election Day. See a full list of early voting locations here.
When will polls be open on Election Day?
In-person voting on May 26 will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Those in line when the polls close will be able to cast their ballot. During the primaries back in March, thousands were still in line in Bexar County once 7 p.m. arrived; they were able to eventually cast their ballot.
Remember: You can head to any of the county’s hundreds of voting sites to cast your ballot on Election Day, so long as you’re registered in Bexar County.
Make sure to have at least one of the following types of ID when you head to the polls.
- Texas driver’s license
- Texas election ID certificate
- Personal Texas ID card
- Texas handgun license
- U.S. citizenship certificate with photo
- U.S. military ID
- U.S. passport (book or card)
Mail-in voting
Texans are allowed to vote by mail but must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- If you’re 65 years of age or older on election day.
- If you’re sick or disabled (here that means having a sickness or physical condition preventing you from appearing at the polls on election day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or of injuring your health).
- If you’re going to be out of the county on election day or during the early-voting period.
- If you’re expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day.
- If you’re confined in jail, but are eligible to vote.
Those eligible must fill out this absentee-ballot application and submit it to the Bexar County Elections Office to be able to submit a mail-in ballot for the election. It must be completed and received at the elections office by May 15.
If you voted by mail in the primaries, you will not have to apply for an absentee ballot again. Your application remains valid until the end of 2026, unless there’s a change in your address or other registration information.
What kind of ID will be accepted?
You don’t want to get to a polling location and not be ready. There are certain types of ID you need to show before you cast your ballot.
Here’s a list that shows you all of the acceptable ID forms.
What’s on the ballot?
As these are primary runoff elections, you’ll only be able to vote for the races for the political party in which you’re registered.
That means you’ll see a different collection of candidates for local and statewide races. Depending on where you live, there will also be a slight difference in which state Senate or House runoff contests you’re weighing in on.
Below are the full ballots for Bexar County voters, separated by party.
Republican
U.S. Senator
🗳 Ken Paxton
🗳 John Cornyn
U.S. Representative, District 35
🗳 John Lujan
🗳 Carlos De La Cruz
Texas Attorney General
🗳 Mayes Middleton
🗳 Chip Roy
Texas Railroad Commissioner
🗳 Bo French
🗳 Jim Wright
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3
🗳 Thomas Smith
🗳 Alison Fox
Texas Senator, District 19
🗳 Marcus Cardenas
🗳 Robert Marks Jr.
Democrat
U.S. Representative, District 35
🗳 Johnny C. Garcia
🗳 Maureen Galindo
Texas Lieutenant Governor
🗳 Marcos Isaias Velez
🗳 Vikki Goodwin
Texas Attorney General
🗳 Nathan Johnson
🗳 Joe Jaworski
Texas State Representative, District 125
🗳 Michelle Barrientes Vela
🗳 Adrian Reyna
Bexar County Criminal District Attorney
🗳 Jane Davis
🗳 Luz Elena Chapa
Bexar County Judge, County Court at Law No. 10
🗳 Cesar Garcia
🗳 Shannon Roberta Salmón
Bexar County District Clerk
🗳 Gloria A. Martinez
🗳 Christine “Chris” Castillo
Bexar County Clerk
🗳 Lucy Adame-Clerk
🗳 Cynthia Castro
What about Congressional District 23?
The Republican Primary for this contest saw Brandon Herrera and incumbent Tony Gonzales separated by fewer than 1,000 votes out of more than 46,000 total ballots in the district. And neither reached the 50% threshold to win outright.
The reason Republican voters in the district won’t see the race on their runoff ballot is because Gonzales — his political career beset by scandal involving admission of an affair with a former staffer — dropped his reelection bid and subsequently announced his resignation from Congress in mid-April. Governor Greg Abbott has the ability to call a special election to fill it in the interim, but as of May 11, the House District 23 seat remains vacant.
Gonzales’ resignation effectively handed Herrera the Republican nomination. He will face San Antonio teacher and Democrat Katy Padilla Stout in November.
How can I track election results?
KENS5.com will have live updates of all results in the Bexar County election. All results will be posted at KENS5.com/elections starting the evening of May 26.