The November 3 ballot will contain two elections each for Texas House District (HD) 93 and Senate District (SD) 22, one for the special election recently called by Gov. Greg Abbott and one for the general election.<\/p>\n
House District 93<\/p>\n
Abbott called the special election to fill the vacancy in HD 93 after state Rep. Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth) resigned<\/a> his post on July 2. Whoever wins the special election will fill the seat from November through January.\u00a0<\/p>\n The second HD 93 contest will be to elect the candidate for the 90th Texas Legislature starting January 12, 2027.<\/p>\n According to the proclamation<\/a> filed with the Texas Secretary of State (SOS), Abbott called the election on August 20 and filed it with the SOS at noon on that day. Candidates had six hours to file their applications for a place on the ballot.<\/p>\n The two candidates for the special election are the same two candidates for the general election: Republican Alan Blaylock<\/a> and Democrat Ericka Lomick<\/a>.<\/p>\n Blaylock told The Texan that he learned about the special election on the day it was announced and that he filed the same day. He didn\u2019t answer The Texan\u2019s question about how he learned about the special election.<\/p>\n Lomick said she learned about the special election from Democratic Party officials on the day of the governor\u2019s proclamation just two hours before the filing deadline. She said she submitted her application at approximately 4:55 p.m. that day.<\/p>\n \u201cThe short notice [for filing] created an unexpected challenge, but my team remained focused and completed the filing,\u201d Lomick told The Texan via email.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy greatest concern now is making sure voters understand their ballot and have the information they need to participate confidently. The people of HD 93 deserve a fair process, clear information, and representation that puts their needs first,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Both candidates plan to inform voters through their campaign efforts about the two separate elections for HD 93. Neither candidate had information about the special election on their campaign websites at the time of publication.<\/p>\n While Lomick is concerned about voter confusion given the two elections on the ballot, Blaylock said he \u201ctrusts voters to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n Senate District 22<\/p>\n Abbott also ordered a special election to fill SD 22, vacated by state Sen. Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury) on May 29. Birdwell took a position<\/a> in President Donald Trump\u2019s administration as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment at the Pentagon.<\/p>\n Abbott\u2019s order<\/a> for a special election in SD 22 was issued on August 18, and candidates had until 6 p.m. on August 20 to file an application to fill the vacancy.<\/p>\n Republican state Rep. David Cook<\/a> (R-Mansfield) and Democrat Amy Martinez-Salas<\/a> are the candidates<\/a> for both the SD 22 special and general elections.\u00a0<\/p>\n Texas Election Code<\/p>\n According to Texas Election Code \u00a7201.051<\/a>, a special election to fill a vacancy \u201cshall be ordered as soon as practicable after the vacancy occurs.\u201d<\/p>\n For a special election that will be held on the same day as the general election, the Election Code says the order should be issued no later than the 78th day before the election, which appears to have been August 17. The SD 22 special election was ordered on August 18; the HD 93 special election was ordered on August 20.<\/p>\n Additionally, candidate filing deadlines for special elections are also addressed in Texas Election Code \u00a7201.054(f)<\/a>, which states, \u201cFor a special election to be held on the date of the general election for state and county officers, the filing deadline is 6 p.m. of the 75th day before election day.\u201d<\/p>\n In the case of both special elections, the 75th day before November 3 was August 20.\u00a0<\/p>\n