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*

  • Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5: Betsy Johnson

  • Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 6: Robert E. Burns


County & district candidates





  • U.S. Representative, District 10: Tawana W. Cadien, Scot B. Gallaher




  • State Representative, District 49: Aspen Dunaway, Kenton D. Johnson, Heather Way, Gina Hinojosa, Blake Rocap, Matthew Shrum, Huey Rey Fischer




  • Travis County District Judge, 345th Judicial District: Jan Soifer, Melissa Mather




  • Travis County District Judge, 427th Judicial District: Jim Coronado*, Tamara Needles




  • Travis County District Judge, 450th Judicial District: Brad Urrutia, Chantal Melissa Eldridge




  • Travis County District Attorney, 53rd Judicial District: Gary Cobb, Margaret Moore, Rick Reed




  • Travis County Sheriff: Todd Radford, Don X. Rios, John Sisson, Sally Hernandez




  • Travis County Commissioner, Precinct 1: Jeff Travillion, Marc Hoskins, James Nortey, Arthur Sampson, Richard Franklin III




  • Williamson County Commissioner, Precinct 1: Chad Chadwell, Terry Cook




*Incumbent

**As of Feb. 19, these candidates have suspended their campaigns, but their names will still appear on the ballot.



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 17: Bill Flores, Ralph Patterson, Kaleb Sims




  • U.S. representative, District 31: John Carter*, Mike Sweeney




  • State representative, District 47: Jay Wiley, Paul Workman*




  • Travis County commissioner, Precinct 3: Gerald Daugherty*, Jason Nassour




  • Travis County Party chairman: James Dickey, Robert Morrow




  • Judge, 395th District Court: Terence Davis, Ryan Larson



  • Williamson County District attorney: Shawn Dick, Jana Duty*


  • Williamson County Court at Law judge No. 2: Laura Barker , Lesli Fitzpatrick, Brandy Hallford, Warren Oliver Waterman




  • Williamson County Sheriff: Robert Chody, Mike Cowie, Randy Elliston, Bill Kelberlau, Tony Trumps




  • Williamson County commissioner, Precinct 1: Paul Matthews, Donna Parker, Landy Warren




  • Williamson County Constable, Precinct 1: Vinnie Cherrone, Leo Enriquez




  • Williamson County Constable, Precinct 2: Richard Coffman*, Mike Pendley




*Incumbent

**As of Feb. 19, these candidates have suspended their campaigns, but their names will still appear on the ballot.

The candidates listed in this guide will be on the 2016 primary election ballot in the communities defined by Community Impact Newspaper’s Northwest Austin coverage area. Only contested county and district races are listed. Official campaign websites could not be found for certain presidential candidates. Visit www.traviscountyclerk.org and www.wilco.org/election to see everything on the Travis and Williamson counties ballots, including referenda and propositions.






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