EARLY VOTING OPENS MONDAY FOR PRIMARY RUNOFF ELECTION
Early voting gets underway on Monday for the May 26th primary runoff election in Washington County.
The Washington County Courthouse Annex will be open for early voting from Monday to Friday, with hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. There will be no weekend voting.
On the Republican ballot, local voters will decide on the races for county judge and Precinct 2 commissioner.
For county judge, Kirk Hanath and Brad Tegeler are vying for the seat currently held by John Durrenberger, who decided not to run for another term.
Jim Chisolm and Mark Schonefeld are pursuing the Precinct 2 commissioner’s seat of Candice Bullock, who also chose to not file for re-election.
The winners in the two races will be unopposed come November, as no Democrats are running for those positions.
In other items on the ballot, Republicans will vote for their party’s candidate in the U.S. Senate, Texas Attorney General and Texas Railroad Commissioner races. Democrats will choose their party’s candidate for Texas Attorney General and Texas Lieutenant Governor.
There are currently 25,810 registered voters in Washington County. As of the March 3rd primary, Washington County had 25,617 registered voters. Official results show 9,382 ballots were cast, including 7,663 in the Republican primary and 1,719 in the Democratic primary, for a voter turnout of 36.62 percent.
Polls will be open on Election Day, May 26th, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For more information on the election, visit https://co.washington.tx.us or https://votetexas.gov.
Elections Administrator Carol Jackson shared several reminders with voters as they prepare to participate in the runoff.
PARTY AFFILIATION RULES FOR PRIMARY RUNOFF:
By voting in a party’s primary election, a voter becomes affiliated with that party. Once affiliated, a voter cannot participate in the other party’s convention or primary runoff election for the rest of the calendar year.
Voter primary participation is indicated in the pollbook on the Official List of Registered Voters, if the individual voted in the March 3, 2026 Primary.
If a voter believes the pollbook notation is incorrect:
They will be asked to complete an Affidavit of Non‑Participation and Affiliation stating they did not participate in that party’s primary or convention. Once completed, the voter may proceed to vote in the other party’s primary runoff election.
ELECTIONEERING RULES
During the voting period and within all protected areas, electioneering is prohibited. This includes expressing support for or opposition to:
• Any candidate
• Any measure
• Any political party
• Any message related to the conduct of an election
EXAMPLES
Not allowed inside a polling place:
• “Vote Democrat”
• “Vote Republican”
These examples explicitly refer to political parties and are considered electioneering.
This prohibition applies whether or not the candidate, measure, or party appears on the ballot.
ISSUE‑BASED APPAREL
The law does not prohibit voters from wearing apparel expressing opinions about general issues or organizations, as long as the apparel does not relate to a candidate, measure, or political party.
Examples of generally permissible issue‑based attire include:
• “Black Lives Matter”
• “NRA”
• “Blue Lives Matter”
• “Turning Point USA”
These examples are considered issue‑or organization‑related, not campaign material, and therefore, voters are usually allowed to wear them while voting.
Allowed unless interpreted as electioneering by the presiding judge:
• Issue‑based or organization‑based apparel not tied to a specific candidate, measure, or political party (examples listed above).
ROLE OF THE PRESIDING JUDGE / EARLY VOTING CLERK
Because local circumstances can vary, the presiding judge (or deputy early voting clerk during early voting) is in the best position to determine whether a person is engaging in electioneering.
Both the early voting clerk and the presiding judge have the authority of a district court judge to take reasonable actions needed to maintain order and ensure efficiency within the protected areas.