G-P Votes

No. A registered voter is not required to pre-register or take any steps towards affiliating with a party before voting in a party’s primary election. [Sec. 162.003]. Additionally, when a person registers to vote in Texas, they do not register with any kind of party affiliation. | Credit: Texas Secretary of State

No. A voter’s party affiliation ends at the end of each calendar year. Affiliation with a party in a prior year does not affect what primary an unaffiliated voter can vote in a new voting year. [Sec. 162.010]. | Credit: Texas Secretary of State

No. A voter must have an effective date of registration on or before election day in order to vote in the current election. [Sec. 11.001].  A registration is effective for purposes of early voting if it will be effective on election day.  [Sec. 13.143].  In Texas, the earliest a voter can submit a voter registration application is when they are 17 years and 10 months old. [Sec. 13.001]. However, this application is not effective until a voter’s 18th birthday.

If a voter is not 18 on or before election day, their voter registration will not be effective prior to election day and they will not be able to vote in that election. However, a voter who turns 18 between primary election day and primary runoff election day can register to vote and vote in the primary runoff election. | Credit: Texas Secretary of State

The primary elections in Texas are two separate elections that occur on the same day. These elections are the method for both the Republican and Democratic parties to select their nominees for the general election in November. When a voter votes in a primary election or primary runoff election, they are affiliating with the party whose primary they are voting in. [Sec. 162.003]. A voter who is affiliated with a political party is not eligible to become affiliated with another party during the same voting year. [Sec. 162.012].

This means a voter cannot vote in both primary elections, or the primary election of one party and the runoff election of another party. Some counties will have joint primaries and/or the parties will share polling places. In a county where the Republican and Democratic parties are sharing polling places, the voter must identify the primary in which they would like to vote, in order to ensure they receive the correct ballot and are marked as voting in the correct primary election. | Credit: Texas Secretary of State

No. By voting in a party’s primary election, a voter has affiliated themselves with that party and is not eligible to participate in the convention or primary runoff election of another party during that calendar year. [Secs. 162.012, 162.013]. | Credit: Texas Secretary of State

No. A voter who votes in the primary is not required to vote for a particular party’s candidates in the succeeding November general election. | Credit: Texas Secretary of State

The act of voting in a primary election affiliates a voter with a political party. [Sec. 162.003]. However, if a voter has not otherwise affiliated themselves with a political party, they are able to vote in the primary of either party. | Credit: Texas Secretary of State

VoteTexas.gov

Texas Secretary of State

San Antonio Express-News - "How primary elections are different in Texas." | Jan. 24, 2024

The Texas Tribune - "Primary Voter Guide" | Jan. 15, 2024