by Drew Shaw, Fort Worth Report
January 19, 2026

Early voting for the high-profile runoff election for the Texas Senate opens Wednesday.

Texas Senate District 9 covers most of Tarrant County and sees candidates Taylor Rehmet, a Fort Worth Democrat, and Leigh Wambsganss, a Southlake Republican, vying for the seat. Election Day for the runoff is Jan. 31.

Here’s what you need to know. 

Early voting is Jan. 21-27 at the following times:

8 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 21-23
7 a.m.-7 p.m. Jan. 24 
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 25 
7 a.m.-7 p.m. Jan. 26-27

Early voting locations can be found here.

Tarrant County residents can check if they live in Senate District 9 here. Voter registration status and sample ballots can be found on  this page. 

On Election Day, voting runs 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at these locations.

The runoff election was triggered after neither Rehmet nor Wambsganss claimed over 50% of the vote in a three-way November race. 

That election saw record-high turnout for an odd-numbered year election — a trend political experts attributed greatly to the Senate race.

Rehmet took the lead and came about 2-percentage points shy of winning outright, while Wambsganss split the GOP vote with her Republican opponent.

The winner on Jan. 31 will serve the remainder of now-acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock’s term, which runs through the end of the year. Candidates have already filed for a prospective rematch for a full four-year term in the Legislature in the March primaries.

In order to cast a ballot, voters must present one of seven valid photo IDs:

Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
Texas election identification certificate issued by DPS
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)

If a voter doesn’t have an acceptable photo ID and cannot reasonably obtain one, they must fill out a reasonable impediment declaration form and present a copy or original of one of the following:

A government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate
Current utility bill
Bank statement
Government check
Paycheck
A certified U.S. birth certificate or a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes the voter’s identity, which may include a foreign birth document

Drew Shaw is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org or @shawlings601. 

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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