It’s Election Day, and Texans are casting votes for local, statewide and national races. Voters will choose Republican and Democratic candidates in several high-profile races, including the U.S. Senate and Texas Attorney General.
The Dallas Morning News is following activity at polling places across the region, highlighting the biggest races and providing live updates throughout the day and evening as results are totaled.
8:20 a.m. Early signs of confusion in Dallas County
Some voters have been surprised, confused and irritated this morning when they show up to vote and are sent elsewhere. Voters in Dallas County must vote at their assigned precinct today due to a push from the county Republican party.
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At Oak Lawn Branch Library, Lauryn Barnes, 42, frantically searched her on her phone to figure out where she was supposed to vote after she was told she was in the wrong place. “I love voting here,” she said, exasperated. “It’s my favorite library, because it’s where the rainbow crosswalk still exists.”
Caleb Reichbaum, 24, of Irving, drove 20 minutes from his apartment in Las Colinas to vote at Irving City Hall, only to be rerouted back to a voting location about two minutes from where he lives. Reichbaum has only voted in one election since he moved to Irving about a year ago, and Irving City Hall is the only polling site he’s used. He said it was frustrating to have to backtrack, but he still had time to go vote before he goes to work. “It was a little frustrating,” he said. “I’m happy I have the time.”
Poll worker Lidia Pedraza places an “Official Vote Center” sign outside of the Pleasant Grove Branch Library as polls open on Primary Election Day on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Dallas.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
8 a.m. Dallas County voters navigate big changes
Dallas County officials have for weeks tried to spread word of a major change this election. We’ll know today whether that effort worked. Here’s what’s happening: Residents could vote early at any of the 74 universal voting centers regardless of their address. But today, all voters are required to cast a ballot at their assigned neighborhood precinct for the first time in nearly a decade due to a change imposed by the county’s Republican party.
Allen West, chair of the county GOP, said he pushed for precinct-based voting on election day because it reduces the opportunity for fraud. Democratic Party Chair Kardal Coleman said the change has already caused confusion and strain on the elections department. Election navigators will be assigned to polling places today to direct voters to the correct precinct if they show up at the wrong location.
Signs of confusion are already appearing this morning. Catherine Lynch, who lives in Irving, showed up to Irving City Hall a few minutes after 7 a.m. to learn she was in the wrong place. Poll workers sent her to a polling place on Story Road, and she noticed other voters having the same problem. Lynch said she did not have to be at work until 11 a.m., so the change wouldn’t keep her from voting.
One candidate in particular motivated her to go to the polls. “I love Jasmine Crockett,” she said.
Sheena Flanary, former Collin County Democratic Party chair, waves to a driver as she canvases for U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Democratic primary candidate for U.S. Senate, at Oak Lawn Branch Library on the first day of early voting, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Dallas.
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
7:30 a.m. Where to find live election results
The Dallas Morning News will provide live election results this evening when the polls close at 7 p.m. Results will be updated throughout the evening for statewide races and Dallas, Collin, Denton, Ellis, Kaufman, Rockwall and Tarrant counties.
7 a.m. A test of Texas’ new map
Polls are now open. This is the first statewide election in Texas since Republicans oversaw a controversial, rare mid-decade redistricting. It unfolded last year when President Donald Trump asked Gov. Greg Abbott to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries in hopes of staving off GOP losses in the U.S. House. The new map was designed to flip five seats currently held by Democrats — one each in Dallas-Fort Worth, the Houston area, Central Texas, South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. Democrats fled the state to break quorum and block a vote, but Republicans eventually approved the new map. Texas set off a frenzy of redistricting in other states. Most notably, California voters approved a ballot initiative to give Democrats an additional five seats. So what’s the end game? The nonpartisan Cook Political Report projects the likeliest scenario is a wash, with neither party netting seats from redistricting.
An official vote center sign is seen at Oak Lawn Branch Library on the first day of early voting, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Dallas.
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
6:30 a.m. What’s on my ballot? Can I vote in both primaries?
Voters will decide candidates for the U.S. Senate race, all U.S. representatives, Texas governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, land commissioner, railroad commissioner, four seats on the Texas Supreme Court, three seats on the Court of Criminal Appeals, eight members on the state’s Board of Education, 16 state senators, all 150 state representatives and various judicial seats.
You’ll have to pick a primary to vote. Texas has semi-open primaries, meaning you can vote in whichever primary you want, and you don’t have to register as a Republican or Democrat. But the “semi” comes from the caveat that you have to vote in the same party’s primary if a race goes to a runoff, which would be May 26.
6 a.m. Everything you need to know to vote
We’ve prepared a comprehensive guide to help you make your decisions today. Before heading to the polls, check out The Dallas Morning News Voter Guide. Readers have a few options for how to use the guide.
The first option: Enter your home address in the field, and our guide will walk you through the races you are eligible to vote in.
A second option: Filter by party to review candidates on the Republican or Democratic ballot.
And a third: Jump to a specific section, such as the U.S. Senate race, Board of Education or Collin County, among others.
Political junkies, feel free to scroll through all 482 races.
Sarah Bahari, Silas Allen and Jessica Ma contributed to this report.