Early voting for the primary election in Texas started on Feb. 14, 2022 and ends on March 1, 2022.

Residents and other eligible Texans can vote in the 2022 primary elections in the counties they are registered in until Election Day (March 1, 2022) . To find out what county you are registered to vote in, you can visit the Texas Voter Portal. If you are registered but not in the county you currently reside in, you can vote anywhere during early voting, which ends Feb. 25. This includes the ability to vote in the state election for statewide candidates, such as governor, lieutenant governor and others. 

“The biggest incremental change that a normal citizen or normal person can do for their community is [to participate in] local elections,” said Zachary Unger, president of WT Turning Point USA and senior political science major from Waco, Texas. 

With midterm elections right around the corner on Nov. 8, citizens choose which party candidates they want to be represented with the major party tickets. Local elections are decided in the primaries, as most candidates at the local level run unopposed in the Texas rural areas. 

“It’s very important to vote in a primary election, to get your voice out,” Unger said. “If you have a candidate that feels very close to you, that resembles your ideology the most.”

Most elections are chosen at the time of the primary, regardless of whether you live in a Democratic or Republican area. Historically, primaries used to be backroom deals often solicited by wealthy people and corporations. Democracy is more dominant than in the past, but problems still exist. The increased democracy of the process has opened it up to game-changing candidates that threaten the status quo. 

“I’m thinking about voting on Election Day,” Unger said. “I definitely still need to do some research on some people and see who would earn my vote.”

Texas is an open primary state, which means, citizens can vote in the Democratic or Republican Party ticket, but not both. If you typically vote Republican, you can choose to vote on the Democratic ticket. However, whatever ballot you choose for the March primary is what you are limited to if a runoff election is called. 

“I always tell people, ‘Go vote,’” Unger said. “‘Go vote for the person that resembles you.’ I always tell people to make a checklist and vote for whoever has the most checks at the end of it.”

A full list of voting locations in Randall County on election day can be found here.

The following local candidates are listed alphabetically:

Randall County – Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4:

• Joanne Garcia Flores
• Kyle Balke
• Michael B. Grady

Randall County – County Commissioner, Precinct 2:

• Eric Barry
• Daniel Martinez
• Ed Schroeter
• Terry Wright

Randall County – County Commissioner, Precinct 1:

• Kelly Giles
• Rusty Carnes

Randall County – County Commissioner, Precinct 4:

• Tam Boatler
• Michael D. Grady
• Melissa Juett Kalka

Potter County – County Commissioner, Precinct 4:

• Warren Coble SR
• Timothy Gassaway
• Melodie Graves

Potter County – County Judge

• Edwarth Heath
• Nancy Tanner

Potter County – County Commissioner, Precinct 2:

• Ben Roberts

To find a full list of statewide candidates, you can visit the League of Women Voters Guide for more information about the candidates running in the primary election.