{"id":184417,"date":"2026-02-28T11:38:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T11:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/184417\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T11:38:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T11:38:14","slug":"5-surprises-you-might-not-expect-on-your-primary-ballot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/184417\/","title":{"rendered":"5 surprises you might not expect on your primary ballot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re new to primary voting or an old pro, this year\u2019s March 3 ballot can be confusing to navigate.<\/p>\n

Congressional districts have changed, droves of nontraditional voters are turning out<\/a>, and even political insiders are noticing some unexpected races<\/a> on their ballot.<\/p>\n

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3. Bexar County voters can choose from any of these election day vote centers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Check your voter registration status and download a copy of your personalized sample ballot here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Remember, only paper notes are allowed in the voting booth. Phones and tablets aren\u2019t allowed.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know before you go to vote.<\/p>\n

Congressional districts have changed<\/p>\n

Texas redrew its congressional districts<\/a> this year, and now 43% of Bexar County residents are in a different district than the last time they voted. <\/p>\n

\"\"Texas\u2019 new congressional maps divide Bexar County between four districts: TX20, represented by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D), TX21, which U.S. Chip Roy (R) is leaving to run for Attorney General, TX23, represented by U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R) and TX35, which U.S. Greg Casar (D) is leaving to run for a more Austin-centric seat. Credit: Screengrab<\/p>\n

Even voters who remain in the same district may not have the option to reelect their current congress member.<\/p>\n

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Chip Roy<\/a> (R-Dripping Springs) is running for Attorney General<\/a> instead of reelection, creating a crowded race to fill his seat<\/a> in the 21st Congressional District<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The 35th Congressional District<\/a> changed so dramatically in redistricting that incumbent U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Austin) is now running<\/a> for different seat in Austin, and many Republicans and Democrats signed up to run in the reshaped district.<\/p>\n

The districts for state legislative seats and other offices have not changed, only Congress.<\/p>\n

Download a copy of your personal sample ballot<\/a> to figure out where you landed. <\/p>\n

Read about all of the candidates running to represent Bexar County in Congress here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A new 15th Court of Appeals<\/p>\n

Texas has a new statewide court on the ballot in 2026 \u2014 throwing even some of the closest political watchers for a loop.<\/p>\n

The 15th Court of Appeals<\/a> was created by the legislature to hear challenges to cases with\u00a0\u201cstatewide significance<\/a>,\u201d including those brought by and against state officials and state agencies, as well as cases challenging state statutes.<\/p>\n

The inaugural justices were appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, and are all running to hold their current seats in 2026.<\/p>\n

Because they\u2019re elected statewide \u2014 in a state that hasn\u2019t gone blue in more than three decades \u2014 critics have called the new court a power grab by GOP leaders.<\/p>\n

The cases it hears used to move through\u00a0regional appellate courts<\/a>, like the\u00a0San Antonio-based Fourth Court of Appeals<\/a>, where judges are elected by the voters in a multi-county region. <\/p>\n

No incumbent status <\/p>\n

Incumbent status isn\u2019t marked on the ballot, and ballot order is determined through a randomized drawing, conducted by county party leaders. <\/p>\n

That can lead to some confusion when looking at a long list of candidates. <\/p>\n

For example, the first race on the ballot in both parties\u2019 primary is the U.S. Senate contest. Though U.S. Sen. John Cornyn<\/a> (R-Texas) is the incumbent, he\u2019s listed third on the Republican ballot in Bexar County, below his primary challenger, Attorney General Ken Paxton<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Candidates who are on the ballot in multiple counties \u2014 like those running for governor and or Congress \u2014 will be listed in a different order on another county\u2019s ballot.<\/p>\n

The San Antonio Report\u2019s 2026 Primary Voter Guide<\/a> allows you to view all of the candidates in the order they\u2019ll appear on the ballot in Bexar County.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Some candidates chose to end their campaigns after the ballot was already set, and it was too late to remove their names.<\/p>\n

One notable example is the Democratic gubernatorial primary, where Houston businessman\u00a0Andrew White<\/a> will still appear on the ballot, even though he dropped out and endorsed<\/a> state Rep.\u00a0Gina Hinojosa<\/a>\u00a0(D-Austin).<\/p>\n

In Texas\u2019 21st Congressional District, healthcare executive Kyle Sinclair<\/a> dropped out of the GOP primary<\/a> to endorse former MLB player Mark Teixeira<\/a>. Sinclair will also still appear on the ballot.<\/p>\n

Party business<\/p>\n

Both Republicans and Democrats both have a long list of party platform proposals at the end of their ballots.<\/p>\n

For example, Republicans are asking their party\u2019s primary voters whether Texas should prohibit Sharia Law and require its public schools to teach that \u201clife begins at fertilization.\u201d They have 10 on the ballot.<\/p>\n

Democrats are asking questions like whether their voters support online voter registration and \u201chumane and dignified immigration policies and pathways to citizenship.\u201d They have 13 total on the ballot.<\/p>\n

Parties use these questions to gauge support for various policy proposals they could take up in the next legislative session. But unlike the referendums on a general election ballot, approving them doesn\u2019t ratify them into law and Save time in the voting booth by reviewing the party platform proposals early on Bexar County\u2019s generic Republican<\/a> and Democratic<\/a> sample ballots.<\/p>\n

\"\"Republican Party of Bexar County Chair Kris Coons speaks with constituents at a Young Republicans of Bexar County meeting at the Magic Time Machine. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

\"\"Bexar County Democratic Party Chair Michelle Lowe Solis speaks at Beto O\u2019Rourke\u2019s town hall event at Stable Hall. Credit: Brenda Baz\u00e1n \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also be voting on a county party chair and local precinct chair. Unlike any other races, these positions are elected on the primary ballot instead of the general election, because it\u2019s the party choosing its own leaders.<\/p>\n

County party chairs serve two-year terms and manage local party business, like overseeing the primary process. These are often heated races<\/a>, but this year Republican Party of Bexar County Chair Kris Coons<\/a> and Bexar County Democratic Party Chair Michelle Lowe Solis<\/a> are both running unopposed<\/a> for reelection.<\/p>\n

Some primary voters will also elect a precinct chair on the March 3 ballot. These positions manage party business for their voting precinct, such as voter outreach efforts on behalf. <\/p>\n

Every voting precinct should have a Republican and Democratic precinct chair, but not all of them have a candidate signed up to run.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re choosing your runoff ballot, too<\/p>\n

Texas has an open primary, meaning anyone can participate, even if you don\u2019t have any affiliation with the Republican or Democratic parties. <\/p>\n

Voters can only choose one, the Republican primary ballot or the Democratic primary ballot. Election officials which simply ask which party\u2019s ballot you\u2019d like before entering the voting booth.<\/p>\n

After you make your selection, however, you\u2019re locked into that party\u2019s ballot through the runoff.<\/p>\n

\"\"Voters arrive to cast their votes during an early voting session for the Primary Election at Semmes Branch Library on Feb. 26, 2026. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Races where no candidate takes at least 50% of the vote will advance to a May 26 primary runoff between the top two vote-takers.<\/p>\n

In the runoff, people who didn\u2019t vote in the March 3 election can choose either party\u2019s ballot. But those who did vote in the first round are only eligible to vote in runoff elections for that same party.<\/p>\n

For example, Republicans are likely to see a runoff in their U.S. Senate race, where polling indicates no candidate<\/a> is currently taking 50% support. There could also be runoffs in some statewide contests, like the four-way Attorney General primary<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are all of the Republicans and Democrats running for U.S. Senate.<\/a><\/p>\n

Democrats also have some crowded races with runoff potential, but most of the high-profile contests will likely be decided in the first round.<\/p>\n

In the U.S. Senate race, there are three Democratic candidates, but polling suggests<\/a> either U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett<\/a> (D-Dallas) or state Rep. James Talarico<\/a> (D-Round Rock) could make it to 50%.<\/p>\n

Democrats\u2019 Bexar County Judge primary between incumbent Peter Sakai<\/a> and former Mayor Ron Nirenberg<\/a> will be decided on March 3, because there are only two candidates on the ballot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Whether you\u2019re new to primary voting or an old pro, this year\u2019s March 3 ballot can be confusing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":184418,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[8519,32343,82,84,83,92,3028,2279,3440],"class_list":{"0":"post-184417","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-2026-election","9":"tag-march-3-primary","10":"tag-san-antonio","11":"tag-san-antonio-headlines","12":"tag-san-antonio-news","13":"tag-top-story","14":"tag-typedaily","15":"tag-voting","16":"tag-wc-1000-1500"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184417\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}