DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Presidential candidates Statewide candidates
  • Railroad commissioner: Lon Burnam, Cody Garrett, Grady Yarbrough
  • Justice, Supreme Court, Place 3: Mike Westergren
  • Justice, Supreme Court, Place 5: Dori Contreras Garza
  • Justice, Supreme Court, Place 9: Savannah Robinson
  • Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2: Lawrence “Larry” Meyers (Incumbent)
  • Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5: Betsy Johnson
  • Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 6: Robert E. Burns
County and District candidates
  • U.S. representative, District 21: Tejas Vakil, Tom Wakeley
  • U.S. representative, District 25: Kathi Thomas
  • U.S. representative, District 35: Lloyd Doggett (incumbent)
  • State Senator, District 21: Judith Zaffirini (incumbent)
  • Sheriff: Rodrigo Amaya
  • Commissioner, Pct. 1: Debbie Gonzales-Ingalsbe (incumbent)
  • Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1, Place 1: Alex Aguirre, JoAnne Prado
  • Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1, Place 2: Scott Courtney, Sandra Sepulveda Lopez, Maggie Hernandez Moreno
  • Constable, Pct. 1: David L. Peterson (incumbent)
  • Constable, Pct. 2: Michael Torres
  • County chairman: Jon Leonard (incumbent)
The candidates listed in this guide will be on the 2016 primary election ballot in the communities defined by Community Impact Newspaper’s San Marcos/Buda/Kyle coverage area. All races including uncontested races are listed. Candidates with silhouette photos were not able to be reached before press time. Official campaign websites could not be found for certain presidential candidates.

REPUBLICAN PARTY

Presidential candidates 

Statewide candidates
  • Railroad commissioner: Lance N. Christian, Wayne Christian, Gary Gates, John Greytok, Ron Hale, Doug Jeffrey, Weston Martinez
  • Justice, Supreme Court, Place 3: Debra Lehrmann (incumbent), Michael Massengale
  • Justice, Supreme Court, Place 5: Paul Green (incumbent), Rick Green
  • Justice, Supreme Court, Place 9: Eve Guzman (incumbent), Joe Pool
  • Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2: Mary Lou Keel, Chris Oldner, Ray Wheless
  • Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5: Sid Harle, Steve Smith, Scott Walker, Brent Webster
  • Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 6: Richard Davis, Michael E. Keasler (incumbent)
County & District candidates
  • U.S. Representative, District 21: Matt McCall, John Murphy, Todd Phelps, Lamar Smith (incumbent)
  • U.S. Representative, District 25: Roger Williams (incumbent)
  • U.S. Representative, District 35: Susan Narvaiz
  • State representative, District 45: Jason A. Isaac (incumbent)
  • Sheriff: Gary Cutler (incumbent), Tommy Ratliff • Read the candidates' Q&A
  • Tax assessor-collector: Luanne Caraway (incumbent)
  • Commissioner, Pct. 3: Will Conley (incumbent), Rob Roark • Read the candidates' Q&A
  • Justice of the peace, Pct. 1, Place 1: Sylvia Deleon Muzzy, Naomi Narvaiz
  • Justice of the peace, Pct. 1, Place 2: James D. "J.D." Elshoff, Shane Scott
  • Constable, Pct 1: Saul Medrano
  • Constable, Pct 2: Steve Avalos, Jimmy Zuehlke, James H. Kohler (incumbent)
  • Constable, Pct 3: Ray Helm
  • Constable, Pct 4: Ron E. Hood (incumbent)
  • Constable, Pct 5: John Ellen, Mitch Johnson, Matt Mancillas III*
  • County Chairman: Russel Hayter (incumbent), Alice D. Chisholm
The candidates listed in this guide will be on the 2016 primary election ballot in the communities defined by Community Impact Newspaper’s San Marcos/Buda/Kyle coverage area. All races including uncontested races are listed. Candidates with silhouette photos were not able to be reached before press time. Official campaign websites could not be found for certain presidential candidates. **These candidates have suspended their campaign but will still appear on the ballot.

VOTER ID REQUIRED

Texas voters are required to present one of seven specific forms of photo identification before they may cast their ballot.

Under Senate Bill 14, which was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2011 but did not take effect until a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 25, 2013, voters must present one of the following forms of ID to vote:

  • Texas driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
  • Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
  • Texas personal ID card issued by DPS
  • Texas concealed handgun license issued by DPS
  • U.S. military ID card containing the cardholder’s photograph
  • U.S. citizenship certificate containing the cardholder’s photograph
  • U.S. passport

The following forms of ID will not be accepted:

  • Student ID
  • Utility bills
  • ID cards issued by employers
  • Any ID, other than U.S. citizenship certification, more than 60 days expired

Voters who do not have a valid form of ID can apply for an Election Identification Certificate at no cost at any driver’s license office. The EIC is valid for six years, but any EIC issued to a voter older than age 70 has no expiration date. Details on how to apply for an EIC are available on the DPS website, www.txdps.state.tx.us/driverlicense/electionid.htm.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

Q. What is the primary election? A. In Texas both the Democratic and Republican parties hold a primary election to determine which candidate should represent each party in the general election. Both parties use the primary election results to determine how many delegates to assign to each of their respective party’s presidential candidates. The delegates then vote at conventions to decide their party’s nomination. There are 155 Republican delegates and 252 Democratic delegates at stake. Q. Can I vote in both the Republican and Democratic primaries in the same year? A. No. In Texas, voters can participate in the primary election by voting Democrat or Republican, but not both. Q. Will I vote at the same polling location for the March primary and the November election? A. Not necessarily. The number of voters is typically lower for the primary election, so the elections office may consolidate precincts to fewer polling locations. Q. Who is eligible for a mail-in ballot? A. You may request a ballot by mail if you will be out of the county on election day and during early voting, if you are sick or disabled, if you are age 65 or older on election day, or if you are incarcerated. Q. Can I vote for Libertarian or third-party candidates in the primary election? A. No, the Republican and Democratic parties are the only ones who hold primary elections. Other parties select their candidates through other processes. Q. What is the role of a county’s political party chair?  A. Political party chairs at the county level are responsible for much of the groundwork each election season. They assist with primary elections, organize voter drive campaigns, work with party candidates and recruit volunteers and precinct chairs.

POLITICAL JOB DESCRIPTIONS 

U.S. House of Representatives Texas’ 36 representatives in the U.S. House serve two-year terms with no term limits. Texas Senate The Texas Senate is made up of 31 single-member districts. Senators serve four-year terms with no term limits. Texas House The Texas House is made up of 150 members representing districts of approximately 179,700 people each, according to 2014 census data. Representatives serve two-year terms with no term limits. Railroad commissioner Three commissioners are each elected to six-year terms. Despite its name, the commission no longer oversees railroads. The commission sets policies and regulations for the exploration and production of oil and natural gas and manages gas utilities. Supreme Court of Texas Nine justices, including a chief justice, are each elected to six-year terms. The Supreme Court of Texas is the highest court for civil litigation statewide. Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Nine justices, including a presiding judge, are each elected to six-year terms. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals hears cases appealed from trial courts and cases that are punishable by the death penalty. The court also has the authority to grant habeas corpus to defendants found guilty of felony crimes. Sources: www.govtrack.us, www.ballotpedia.org, www.rrc.texas.gov, http://quickfacts.census.gov,www.txcourts.gov, www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us, www.texasgop.org, www.txdemocrats.org and www.sos.state.tx.us