Harris County Democratic Party Executive Director Baird Campbell issued a press release last week noting that, under \u201cchanges enacted by the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature, the Harris County Republican Party was given unilateral authority to refuse participation in a joint primary, splitting the primaries across the county into a massive disconnection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLocal election workers from both parties have reported that a split primary creates avoidable complications with staffing, polling locations, equipment allocation, and voter flow \u2014 problems that do not exist under the properly administered joint primary that already worked in Harris County,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A split primary can cost millions in additional taxpayer dollars that could be spent on \u201ccritical needs such as public safety and flood mitigation,\u201d Harris County Democratic Party Chair Mike Doyle said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Doyle and Harris County Commissioners Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia spoke at a press conference on Monday, opposing the split primaries and sounding the alarm on what they expect it means for future elections.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHarris County voters not only need to be warned about wholly avoidable delays and disruptions caused by the split primary on Election Day, but also that the disruptions and delays are part of an already planned path by Texas Republicans to steal control of Harris County elections from local elected officials, deciding where, when, and potentially whether Harris County voters will have an opportunity to freely have their vote [counted],\u201d Doyle said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hudspeth acknowledged that previous primaries have been split but the number of registered voters has grown since then, and as evidenced by record-breaking early voting numbers, turnout is increasing. The joint primary \u201cwent well\u201d in 2024, Hudspeth said, noting that the Secretary of State applauded Harris County for its efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The political parties contract with the clerk\u2019s office to run primary elections so Hudspeth doesn\u2019t get to make the decision of whether to run them in a split or joint fashion, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we were going into 2026, the Democratic Party said, it went well in 2024 and it put less of a demand on recruiting election workers, but the Republican Party said it didn\u2019t want a joint, so now it\u2019s going to be a non-joint because they have to agree,\u201d Hudspeth said. \u201cMy office did everything on the front end. We said, here are the pros; here are the potential cons. When you go from a joint back to a non-joint, it forces more election workers to be trained and we end up spending more money because it\u2019s like double elections in one day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Could There Be A State Takeover?<\/p>\n
Republicans have already indicated that they want to take over Harris County elections. Gov. Greg Abbott said<\/a> last April that \u201cno one in Texas does a worse job of running elections than Harris County.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n That was the governor\u2019s reasoning for delaying for eight months a special election to fill the Congressional District 18 seat after Rep. Sylvester Turner\u2019s death in March 2025. Many speculated at the time that the delayed election was an attempt to prevent adding another Democrat to Congress and reducing the GOP\u2019s already narrow majority.\u00a0<\/p>\n Longtime Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, also has been critical<\/a> of Harris County elections, suggesting earlier this year that at least 100 people illegally used post office boxes, rather than permanent residences, as their addresses on voter registration cards. Abbott responded to the senator\u2019s allegations by saying on social media that Harris County \u201cshould be stripped of operating elections, and state officials should take over. Potential legal charges should also be considered.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Political experts scoffed, saying it appeared Bettencourt\u2019s criticism was regarding a clerical error in the voter registration rolls, which is unrelated to the process of running elections.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bettencourt filed a bill in 2022 that temporarily dismantled<\/a> the Harris County elections administrator\u2019s office and allows the state to order \u201cadministrative oversight\u201d of local elections in counties with a population of over 4 million \u2014 which essentially means just Harris County \u2014 and did so in 2024. Critics said at the time that Bettencourt\u2019s oversight legislation was an attempt by Republicans to exert more control over elections in a blue county in a traditionally red state.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hudspeth has supervised more than a dozen \u201csuccessful\u201d elections since accusations of election rigging and voter fraud \u2014 later found to be meritless \u2014 were made in 2022, before she was elected clerk.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what the Republican Party\u2019s initiative is here,\u201d Hudspeth said when asked if a state takeover is planned. \u201cI do know that I inherited the elections office in 2023 after there were some major concerns under the elections administrator\u2019s office. Since then, not only did [the state] return operations to me, but it also created a bill that can possibly remove me or the tax assessor-collector, who\u2019s the voter registrar, from office, if there\u2019s an administrative complaint. Since that time, I have run 13 elections under my leadership that have been successful elections.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen there are soundbites or things put out by the governor and others that, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re going to have to come in and take over,\u2019 it sows distrust in the election process when we are working really hard to show that we are providing fair and efficient elections with integrity,\u201d she added.\u00a0<\/p>\n Siegel said Monday the GOP\u2019s aversion to a joint election isn\u2019t an indictment of Hudspeth or her ability to properly oversee elections. \u201cIn fairness to the county clerk, she took over what was really a hot mess,\u201d Siegel said. \u201cAfter the 2022 debacle with no paper and equipment being delivered to places that weren\u2019t even polls, there were just tremendous problems. Clerk Hudspeth has worked really hard with both parties to have good elections, fair, securely-run elections within the framework of the law.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Senate Bill 1933, passed in 2023, gives the Texas Secretary of State \u2014 appointed by Abbott \u2014 the ability to take over Harris County\u2019s elections under almost unlimited circumstances if deemed necessary. Doyle said that delays and disruptions caused by the split primaries are \u201clikely to be misrepresented to justify a Republican-led takeover of Harris County\u2019s well-functioning local election administration.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n When asked if he thinks the Republicans requested the split primaries on purpose to prompt a state takeover, Doyle responded, \u201cI know they did.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cJoint primaries work. They protect voter privacy, ensure efficient operations, and save taxpayers money,\u201d Doyle added. \u201cDemocrats have consistently supported the model that serves voters best. If Republicans insist on running a separate primary, they should bear the responsibility for its costs and consequences \u2014 not Harris County taxpayers and not all our voters.\u201d<\/p>\n Siegel said candidate filing fees cover much of the costs of primary elections. \u201cBy reducing the number of polls, that reduces the overall costs, so it should be more comparable,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Early Voting Numbers\u00a0<\/p>\n More than 346,000 Harris County residents cast ballots during an 11-day early voting period. The record-breaking numbers are a good thing, leaders representing both parties agree. Political parties shared resources during the early voting period but they\u2019ll be split on Election Day, Hudspeth said, with Republicans and Democrats separated into different rooms in some locations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Of the early voters, 220,333 cast ballots in the Democratic primary; 125,513 voted Republican, according to Harris Votes<\/a>. Sixty polling locations were open during early voting; 280 will be available on Election Day.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hudspeth, who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary, said early voting ran smoothly and she was pleased with the high turnout numbers.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like this year would have high turnout for both sides of the aisle,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are a lot of contested races and a lot of money being spent by those campaigns. I thought it was definitely going to drive voters to participate, and what\u2019s going on in the country will drive voters to participate.\u201d<\/p>\n Political experts have said<\/a> the big statewide primary turnout among Democrats can be attributed to the high-profile race between U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, and state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, for a U.S. Senate seat. President Donald Trump\u2019s unpopularity may also be driving Democrats to the polls, said Jeffrey Engle, director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University.\u00a0<\/p>\n Harris County\u2019s record-breaking numbers are particularly encouraging for Democrats because the county holds the state\u2019s most populous base of Democratic voters and will likely be influential in the statewide races, said Tommy Kubitschek, a spokesperson for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hinojosa joined fellow Democrats U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee, County Commissioner Lesley Briones and District Attorney Sean Teare on Sunday for a last-minute rally before Election Day.\u00a0<\/p>\n The adversarial relationship between Republicans and Democrats over elections and voting accessibility was a major topic of conversation at the rally. Menefee, the former Harris County attorney, said he recalled a time when Abbott shut down drive-through and 24-hour voting, also making it more difficult for people to vote by mail. \u201cI also remember suing his ass,\u201d Menefee said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor so long, I\u2019ve heard Democrats say, Texas isn\u2019t a red state; it\u2019s a non-voting state,\u201d the congressman added. \u201cThis election season, it\u2019s time for Texas to see Democrats activated in a way that we\u2019ve never been activated before.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Although early voting turnout among Texas Democrats outpaced Republicans, GOP voters are still heading to the polls in higher numbers than they did in the 2020 presidential primary elections, according to Secretary of State data.\u00a0<\/p>\n Siegel said the GOP\u2019s \u201cnumbers are good, but we have our work cut out for us, to turn out the vote and reach out to independent voters who haven\u2019t made up their minds to vote for our candidates in November.\u201d <\/p>\n What\u2019s On the Ballot\u00a0<\/p>\n Those planning to vote on Tuesday may want to take a long lunch break. The high early voting numbers indicate a sentiment that this year\u2019s midterms are crucial for both parties, but most of Harris County\u2019s 2.7 million registered voters haven\u2019t gone to the polls yet.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Hudspeth declined to make predictions about whether there would be delays or \u201cchallenges,\u201d but noted that, because two elections are being operated separately by the two parties, she expects results will be tallied well into Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n More than 100 races and several non-binding propositions, which will be used to guide the 2027 legislative agenda, are on both the Republican and Democratic ballots<\/a>.<\/p>\n All eyes are on the U.S. Senate race pitting Talarico and Crockett against each other on the Democratic ballot, and incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt on the GOP side.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Poll-workers.jpg\")
Harris County poll workers pick up equipment at election headquarters as they prepare for split primaries on Tuesday. Credit: Irene Nunez<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Primary.jpeg\")
More than 346,000 Harris County residents cast ballots during an 11-day-early voting period. Credit: April Towery<\/p>\n