2026 Texas Election Calendar
Registration deadlines, early voting windows, and election dates for the full 2026 Texas cycle, primary through November general.
What Comes Next: The Canvass
Results are unofficial until canvassed. Each county canvasses its returns by Tuesday, November 17, 2026, after provisional ballots are counted.
The governor conducts the state canvass for other statewide offices, district offices, and ballot measures on a date the Secretary of State sets between Nov. 21 and Dec. 7, 2026. The Legislature canvasses the governor and lieutenant governor races.
Key Dates Through 2028
Texas law sets these dates, and the Secretary of State notes they are subject to changes from the 2027 legislative session.
Next
New U.S. House and Senate Terms Begin
New terms begin at noon for U.S. House members and the senator elected Nov. 3. U.S. Constitution, 20th Amendment (opens in new tab)
90th Texas Legislature Convenes
The regular session opens at noon on the second Tuesday in January of odd-numbered years. Texas Government Code, Sec. 301.001 (opens in new tab)
November Uniform Election Date
The Legislature sets the date of any constitutional amendment election. Texas Election Code, Sec. 41.001 (opens in new tab)
2028 Primary Candidate Filing Opens
First day to file for most primary ballot places, 30 days before the deadline. Texas Election Code, Sec. 172.023 (opens in new tab)
2028 Primary Candidate Filing Deadline
Applications are due by 6 p.m., the second Monday in December of odd-numbered years. Texas Election Code, Sec. 172.023 (opens in new tab)
2028 Primary Election
Party primaries are held on the first Tuesday in March of even-numbered years. Texas Election Code, Sec. 41.007 (opens in new tab)
2028 Primary Runoff Election
Primary runoffs are held on the fourth Tuesday in May after the primary. Texas Election Code, Sec. 41.007 (opens in new tab)
2028 General Election
Election Day is the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years. Texas Election Code, Sec. 41.001 (opens in new tab)
Early Voting in Texas: Oct. 19 to Oct. 30, 2026
Early voting in person for the Nov. 3 general election ran Monday, October 19, 2026, through Friday, October 30, 2026. Voters could use any early voting location in their county of registration, with hours and locations set by each county.
Mail-ballot applications had to be received, not just postmarked, by each county's early voting clerk by Friday, October 23, 2026.
Early Voting TurnoutCompleted Elections (4)
2026 Primary Election
Texas held party primaries. In races with no majority winner, the top two candidates advanced to May 26 runoffs.
Key Deadlines
May Uniform Election
Local elections: city councils, school boards, bond propositions, and special elections.
Key Deadlines
2026 Primary Runoff
Held May 26. Ken Paxton defeated Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP Senate runoff.
Key Deadlines
2026 General Election
General election: Governor, Lt. Governor, AG, all 38 U.S. House seats, one U.S. Senate seat, state legislature, and more.
Key Deadlines
You can vote an emergency ballot at the main early voting polling place if you’ll be away from your county of residence on Election Day because of a death in the family on or after Thursday, Oct. 29. You must be related to the person within the second degree of blood or marriage.Emergency ballots due to a death in the family, VoteTexas.gov (opens in new tab)
A voter who is inside or waiting to enter the polling place at 7 p.m. can still vote. Whether you can use any polling place in your county depends on the county.Election Day voting hours, VoteTexas.gov (opens in new tab)Texas Election Code sections 41.031 (voting hours) and 41.032 (voters in line) (opens in new tab)Counties in the Countywide Polling Place Program (vote centers) (opens in new tab)
Mail ballots must arrive by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. A ballot mailed before Election Day and postmarked by 7 p.m. Nov. 3 still counts if it arrives by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4.Texas Secretary of State election dates (opens in new tab)
A mail ballot sent from outside the U.S. by Election Day counts if it arrives by the fifth day after Election Day. That is Sunday, Nov. 8, so the deadline moves to the next business day, Monday, Nov. 9. Ballots from military voters and their spouses and dependents who applied with a Federal Post Card Application count if they arrive by the sixth day, also Monday, Nov. 9. TexPolls counted these dates from the Election Code.Military and overseas voters, VoteTexas.gov (opens in new tab)Texas Election Code section 86.007(d) (ballots from outside the U.S.) (opens in new tab)Texas Election Code section 101.057 (military voters) (opens in new tab)
If you vote a provisional ballot because you did not have an acceptable photo ID, show one at the county voter registrar’s office by the sixth day after Election Day, Monday, Nov. 9, for the ballot to count. TexPolls counted this date from the six-day rule.Voter ID requirements, VoteTexas.gov (opens in new tab)Texas Election Code section 65.0541 (opens in new tab)
Questions About Key Dates
- When was the 2026 Texas general election?
- Election Day was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Polls in Texas were open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, and anyone in line at 7 p.m. could still vote.
- What was the voter registration deadline for the November 2026 Texas election?
- Monday, October 5, 2026. Texas required registration applications to be postmarked or received by the 30th day before Election Day.
- When was early voting in Texas for the 2026 general election?
- In-person early voting ran Monday, Oct. 19, through Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. Voters could use any early voting location in their county of registration, with hours and locations set by each county.
- When was the deadline to apply for a mail ballot in Texas for November 2026?
- Applications for a ballot by mail had to be received (not postmarked) by your county's elections office by Friday, October 23, 2026, the 11th day before Election Day.
- When were the 2026 Texas primary and runoff?
- The primary was March 3, 2026. Races where no candidate reached 50 percent plus one went to a runoff on May 26, 2026. Both are decided; the November nominees are set.