{"id":52990,"date":"2025-11-17T14:46:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T14:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/52990\/"},"modified":"2025-11-17T14:46:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T14:46:07","slug":"2026-midterm-primaries-in-el-paso-key-dates-filing-deadlines-candidate-requirements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/52990\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 midterm primaries in El Paso: Key dates, filing deadlines, candidate requirements"},"content":{"rendered":"

While many of us are planning our Thanksgiving meals, political candidates are busy preparing their bids for next year\u2019s midterm primaries, with the Dec. 8 filing deadline fast approaching.<\/p>\n

The midterm elections are called as such because they take place halfway through the four-year presidential term and feature races for offices other than that of the president or vice president.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 2026 election cycle in Texas begins with the March 3 primaries \u2013 where Democratic and Republican candidates vie for their chance to face off against the opposing party\u2019s winning candidates in November. Different states may have different primary dates.<\/p>\n

The Libertarian and Green parties in Texas determine their nominees at conventions, and not primary elections. But people seeking the nomination from one of those parties follow the same filing deadlines set for the two major parties.<\/p>\n

The 2026 midterm uniform election is slated for Nov. 3 across all states.<\/p>\n

Here are some key things to know about running for elected office in the 2026 midterm elections, including key dates, qualifications and where to file.<\/p>\n

What are some key election dates to note?<\/p>\n

Candidates in Texas, including El Paso, must file their official application and pay any related fees by Monday, Dec. 8, to be included on the March primary ballot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The winners of each race in their respective party move on to the Nov. 3 election. If the primary winners have no opponents in November, they\u2019re considered to have won office.<\/p>\n

Most winning candidates would take office in January 2027.<\/p>\n

Who runs in a midterm election?<\/p>\n

At the national level, a midterm election decides the composition of Congress \u2013 all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 33 of the 100 U.S. Senate seats are up for vote. Texas has one of the Senate seats being decided in 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cMidterm elections are used to determine the next course of our democracy,\u201d according to the U.S. Vote Foundation<\/a>, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes voting. <\/p>\n

\u201cBecause these elections are so closely tied into the timing of the Presidential term, they are often seen as a barometer of the President\u2019s performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Statewide in Texas, races on the ballot include seats for U.S. Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller, among others.<\/p>\n

What are the local El Paso offices up for vote in 2026?<\/p>\n

Aside from the U.S. representative and the statewide races, all of El Paso\u2019s state representative seats are up for election, as are the county judge and two county commissioner seats.<\/p>\n

Other races include district clerk, county clerk, party chairs \u2013 and a slew of judgeships and justices of the peace.<\/p>\n

SEE ALSO: Here are the \u2018I Voted\u2019 stickers El Pasoans will get at the polls in 2026 election<\/a><\/p>\n

El Paso city races \u2013 mayor, city representatives and municipal judges \u2013 are nonpartisan and therefore are not on the primary ballot. The next city election<\/a> will be part of the November 2026 ballot, when city representative seats in Districts 1, 5, 6 and 8 are up for vote. The mayor\u2019s seat will be on the 2028 ballot.<\/p>\n

What are the qualifications to run for office?<\/p>\n

Qualifications for elected offices include being a U.S. citizen and residing in the district they\u2019re vying to represent. Most offices have a minimum age requirement of 18, though that\u2019s at 25 for the U.S. House of Representatives and most judgeships, and 30 for the U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n

In most cases, candidates must be a registered voter<\/a> in the territory, district or precinct they are looking to represent by the filing deadline.<\/p>\n

You can find more information on qualifications for public offices<\/a> at the Office of the Texas Secretary of State elections website.<\/p>\n

Where and how do candidates seeking their party\u2019s nomination file for office?<\/p>\n

Candidates must file a candidate application and pay a filing fee \u2013 or file a petition in lieu of a filing fee.<\/p>\n

Applications must be filed between Nov. 8 and Dec. 8.<\/p>\n

The application for a place on the ballot<\/a> must be filed with their county or state party chair, while candidates for federal office must file an application with the Federal Election Commission.<\/a><\/p>\n

In El Paso County, candidates would file with either the Democratic Party<\/a> at 1401 Montana Ave., Suite E, or the Republican Party<\/a> at 7717 Lockheed Drive.<\/p>\n

Those who are seeking to run for certain judicial offices must also provide additional information<\/a> with their applications<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The deadline for candidates to submit their withdrawal<\/a> from a race is Tuesday, Dec. 9. A withdrawal application or notarized letter is required to be submitted to the same authority where they filed their candidate application.<\/p>\n

Filing fees range from about $750 to $2,500 for most county and state races, with higher fees for federal offices.<\/p>\n

For more frequently asked questions on candidacy and party affiliation, visit the Texas Secretary of State Elections Division website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Where and how do I register to vote in the midterm elections?<\/p>\n

\"\"Texas voter registration application<\/p>\n

Voter registration deadline for the March primary is Feb. 2. Visit the El Paso County Elections Department website to check if you\u2019re a registered voter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To register to vote in Texas<\/a>, you must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of the county where you submit your application and be at least 17 years old and 10 months on the date your voter registration is submitted and be 18 years old on Election Day. You must also not be a convicted felon, but may be eligible to vote if you\u2019ve completed your sentence, probation and parole.<\/p>\n

Early voting is set for Feb. 17-27. Election Day is March 3, with runoffs slated for May 26, if necessary.<\/p>\n

For more information on voter registration or El Paso County elections, visit epcountyvotes.com<\/a>,<\/p>\n

Follow elpasomatters.org<\/a> for more election news and information, coverage of key races, our Voter Guide and more, and don\u2019t forget to sign up for our free weekly newsletters<\/a> to get election and other news, culture and events stories directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

LISTEN: EL PASO MATTERS PODCAST<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While many of us are planning our Thanksgiving meals, political candidates are busy preparing their bids for next…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":52991,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[2137,29454,29455,138,140,139],"class_list":["post-52990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-el-paso","tag-2026-elections","tag-2026-march-primary","tag-2026-midterm-elections","tag-el-paso","tag-el-paso-headlines","tag-el-paso-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52990","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=52990"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52990\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}