Original reporting provided by Alex Samuels, reporter at The Texas Tribune. Supplemental reporting provided by Matt Dulin, editor at Community Impact Newspaper. With less than a month until the March 6 primary elections, races across the ballot are starting to heat up. This year, Texas has the earliest primaries in the country. "If they want to make a difference, to me as a voter, you get your vote out there," said Lisa Mujica, Brazoria County's election director. "It’s important to have a say in things." Brazoria allows a registered voter to cast a ballot at any of its voting locations—you don't have to know what precinct you are in. But you do need a valid ID. If you forget to bring it, you may still be able to vote, Mujica said. "We don't turn anyone away from the polls. We give them options, like the provisional ballot," she said. This allows the voter to cast a ballot, but they must come to the clerk's office within six days with valid identification to certify their vote. And even if they forget to do that, the county's ballot board will ultimately decide whether or not to count the vote, Mujica said. This election cycle has an unusually high number of prominent open races, with eight Texans in the U.S. House opting not to run for re-election, and more than a dozen in the Texas Legislature doing the same. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott, both Republicans, are up for re-election and facing primary challengers. Other statewide elected officials up for re-election include Land Commissioner George P. Bush, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, all of whom are Republicans.