Election Day is Nov. 5, and many Texans can expect a lengthy ballot when they reach the polls. On top of local races and propositions, eligible Texans will have the opportunity to vote for the president, a U.S. senator, a Texas Railroad Commissioner and six statewide judges.

Seven seats on the 15-member State Board of Education are up for election, alongside 15 state Senate seats and all seats in the U.S. and Texas Houses.

Keep reading to learn more about the responsibilities of these elected officials. For more election coverage from Community Impact, visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide.

What you need to know

The U.S. Senate: Each state has two U.S. senators, who serve staggered six-year terms. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn represent the Lone Star State—Cruz is seeking a third term, while Cornyn’s fourth term runs through 2026.

The U.S. Senate acts on legislation; oversees the federal budget; votes on presidential appointments to federal courts and agencies; approves treaties and more.

Cruz is being challenged by Democrat Colin Allred, a third-term congressman from Dallas and former NFL linebacker; and Libertarian Ted Brown, a small-business owner and former chair of the Libertarian Party of Travis County.

Meet the candidates for Texas’ U.S. Senate race here.

The Railroad Commission of Texas: Three commissioners serve staggered six-year terms on the Railroad Commission of Texas, the state’s oldest regulatory agency.

Despite its name, the RRC does not actually oversee railroads, which are regulated by the Texas Department of Transportation and the federal government. Instead, the commission regulates Texas’ oil and gas industry.

Republican Christi Craddick, who chairs the commission, is running for reelection. She was first elected in 2012 and is the daughter of longtime state Rep. Tom Craddick, R-Midland.

Craddick has three challengers: Democrat Katherine Culbert, an oil and gas process safety engineer; Libertarian Hawk Dunlap, a well control specialist; and Green Party candidate Eddie Espinoza, a retired teacher and activist.

All three RRC seats are currently held by Republicans.

Click here to meet the candidates and learn about their positions on pipeline safety, renewable energy and more.

The Supreme Court of Texas: Three seats on Texas’ highest court are up for election. The court, located in Austin, is the last resort for civil cases in Texas. It also has administrative control over the State Bar of Texas and licenses attorneys in the state.

All nine Texas Supreme Court seats are currently held by Republicans, who serve staggered six-year terms. On the ballot are:

• Place 2: Justice Jimmy Blacklock faces Democrat DaSean Jones, a Harris County district judge.
• Place 4: Justice John Devine faces Democrat Christine Vinh Weems, a Harris County district judge. Devine narrowly won his Republican primary amid criticism over ethics and repeated absences from the bench.
• Place 6: Justice Jane Bland faces Democrat Bonnie Lee Goldstein, a Dallas appellate judge.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals: Texas’ highest appeals court will soon welcome three new judges. Three incumbents—Sharon Keller, Barbara Parker Hervey and Michelle Slaughter—lost their Republican primaries to challengers backed by Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Paxton targeted the judges after the court ruled in 2021 that the attorney general’s office does not have constitutional authority to initiate voter fraud investigations. Keller, Hervey and Slaughter sided with the majority in the voter fraud decision.

In a March 5 social media post, Paxton called the primary election results "a significant moment in our state’s legal history.”

The candidates seeking to replace them are:

• Presiding judge: Republican David J. Schenck, a Dallas appellate attorney, faces Democrat Holly Taylor, a lawyer with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office.
• Place 7: Republican Gina Parker, a Waco attorney and business owner, faces Democrat Nancy Mulder, a Dallas County district judge.
• Place 8: Republican Lee Finley, an attorney from Collin County, faces Democrat Chika Anyiam, a Dallas County district judge.

The court, located in Austin, handles appeals in death penalty cases and other high-profile criminal matters. All nine seats are currently held by Republicans, who serve staggered six-year terms.

Also of note

The State Board of Education: Seven seats on the 15-member State Board of Education are up for election. Each member represents about 1.8 million Texans.

The SBOE sets curriculum standards, reviews instructional materials, approves new charter schools and oversees the $56.8 billion Texas Permanent School Fund.

In November, the board is scheduled to vote on a new set of state-developed textbooks and other instructional materials. The proposed state textbooks have come under fire for frequent references to Christianity and the Bible.

The Texas Legislature: At the Texas Capitol, 15 of 31 Senate seats and all 150 House seats are up for election. The Texas Senate is led by Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, while Texas House members will select a speaker on Jan. 14, the first day of the 89th Legislature.

A group of House Republicans aim to take the speaker’s gavel away from Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, after a legislative session dominated by GOP infighting.