Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media
A sign outside of a polling location in south Houston on March 4, 2026.
Early voting began Monday for Texas’ May 26 primary election runoffs. Houston-area voters from both sides of the political aisle have the chance to weigh in on who will represent their party in several key races during the November midterm election.
In Texas, a runoff is triggered when no candidate in a race secures more than 50% of the vote. None of the candidates on the May 26 ballot was able to do that during the first round of primary voting March 3.
And even though the state’s primary elections are open — meaning voters have the option to cast ballots in either the Democratic or Republican primary — they are locked into voting in the same party’s primaries during a given year. So if you voted in the Democratic primary in March, for example, you cannot vote in the Republican primary runoffs this month.
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Early voting dates, times & locations
Polling locations for early voting in Harris County, which includes most of Houston, will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday, May 18, through Friday. May 22. Forty-eight polling centers across the county will be open for early voting, and a map of the locations can be found on the Harris County Clerk’s Office’s elections website.
On Election Day, Tuesday, May 26, Harris County will have 162 polling locations open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
For information about voting in other counties in the Houston area, links for their election offices are below:
Statewide races
J. Scott Applewhite | AP & Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
Sen. John Cornyn, left, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
Both Republicans and Democrats will have statewide primary runoff races on the May 26 ballot.
One of the most-watched contests will be the Republican runoff for one of Texas’ seats in the U.S. Senate, between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. A recent poll published earlier this month by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs found a virtual tie between Cornyn and Paxton, with each candidate polling within the margin of error.
RELATED: After ‘bitter’ primary runoff, can GOP voters unite behind their party’s Senate nominee?
Whichever candidate secures the Republican nomination will face off against Democrat state Rep. James Talarico, who beat out U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett during the March primary.
Texas Republicans and Democrats will also be choosing their nominees to succeed Paxton as attorney general.
Provided by candidates’ campaigns
From left to right, Mayes Middleton, Chip Roy, Joe Jaworski and Nathan Johnson are candidates for Texas attorney general.
State Sen. Mayes Middleton of Galveston and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy will be on the Republican runoff ballot, while state Sen. Nathan Johnson and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski will be vying for the Democratic nomination.
Democratic voters also will decide between state Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin and labor organizer Marcos Vélez of the Houston area in a runoff for lieutenant governor, one of the most powerful positions in Texas government. The office oversees the state Senate and plays a major role in shaping the Legislature’s agenda. The winner will face incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, in November. Patrick has held the office since 2015 and easily won his primary earlier this year.
Republicans will also be choosing between Bo French and incumbent Jim Wright as their party’s nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the state’s oil and gas industry.
Local congressional races
Runoff races to represent the Houston area in Congress also will appear on ballots for both parties. Voters in Harris County can view their sample ballots online.
For Republicans, some of the most notable runoffs are in the 9th and 38th Congressional Districts.
Andrew Schneider/HPM
Alex Mealer (left) and Briscoe Cain (Right) are the two leading Republican candidates for Texas’ 9th Congressional District.
The runoff in TX-9 pits former Harris County judge candidate Alex Mealer, who has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, against state Rep. Briscoe Cain, a Deer Park lawmaker endorsed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott,
District 9 was among those targeted by state Republicans during their controversial mid-decade redistricting last summer. The district has long been represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Al Green, but his home and many of his constituents were redrawn into the neighboring 18th Congressional District. The new map is being used for this election cycle.
The 9th District now includes rural Liberty County and is considered favorable for Republicans. Whoever wins the GOP runoff between Mealer and Cain will run in the November election against Democrat Leticia Gutierrez, who won her party’s nomination by a wide margin in March.
Houston-area Republicans who live in Texas’ 38th Congressional District will choose between Jon Bonck and Shelly deZevallos. The winner will face off against the Democratic nominee, Melissa McDonough, in November. They are vying to succeed U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, a Republican who stepped down to make what proved to be an unsuccessful run for Senate.
The region’s marquee primary runoff on the Democratic side is in the 18th Congressional District, where the aforementioned Green faces U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee in a battle between sitting congressmen.
AP Photo/Karen Warren & Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP
U.S. Reps. Christian Menefee, left, and Al Green are competing in the Democratic primary in the 18th Congressional District.
Menefee has represented the 18th District since Feb. 3, after winning a special election to complete the term of late U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner. The seat had been left vacant for 334 days following Turner’s death in March 2025 at age 70.
Green, who currently represents District 9, opted to run for reelection in District 18.
The winner of the May 26 runoff will face Republican nominee Ronald Dwayne Whitfield in November.
State representative races
Harris County ballots also will include three primary runoffs in races for state representative. There are Democratic runoffs in House District 131 and House District 149. In the latter district, incumbent state Rep. Hubert Vo is being challenged by Darlene Breaux. In House District 131, Staci Childs is facing Lawrence Allen Jr., the son of outgoing state Rep. Alma Allen.
In the Republican runoff for House District 126, former Harris County clerk Stan Stanart is facing Kelly Peterson, the district director for retiring state Rep. Sam Harless.
County level races
Both nominations for Harris County judge are up for grabs as former Houston Mayor Annise Parker and former Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer are competing in the Democratic runoff. Republicans, who have not held the Harris County judge position since 2018, will choose between former county treasurer Orlando Sanchez and Warren Howell as their party’s nominee.
Harris County Democrats will also be choosing between Jose Maldonado and Darrell Jordan Jr. as their candidate for district clerk.
In Harris County, there also are primary runoff races for judicial seats. On the Democratic side, voters will choose a nominee for a position on the State Board of Education.
In neighboring Fort Bend County, there’s a Democratic primary runoff for county judge between Rachelle Carter and Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy. The winner will advance to the November general election to face Republican nominee Daniel Wong, who last month was appointed to serve as county judge on an interim basis.
The Texas Newsroom’s Lucio Vasquez and Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider and Sarah Grunau contributed to this article.