2020 is a major election year and we want to make sure your voice is heard. The race for president highlights the ballot, which also has several national, state and local races. In the primaries, the parties will nominate the candidates who will go head-to-head in November.
Election Day is March 3 and here's what you need to know.
Check wait times at Harris County voting locations
If you've not voted yet, check how long you'll wait to cast your ballot at a Harris County location.
Am I registered to vote?
You must be registered in order to vote in Texas. You can check online to see if you are currently registered to vote.
What do I to need to vote?
When you head to the polls, you need one of the following to cast your vote.
- Texas Driver License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
- Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
- Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS
- Texas Handgun License issued by DPS
- United States Military Identification Card containing the person’s photograph
- United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph
- United States Passport (book or card)
Don’t have one of those? Here are supporting forms of ID.
- Copy or original of a government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate;
- Copy of or original current utility bill
- Copy of or original bank statement
- Copy of or original government check
- Copy of or original paycheck
- Copy of or original of (a) a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document).
What's on the ballot?
In the primary, each party will choose its candidate for U.S. president, U.S. Senate, congressional offices, legislative offices, the State Board of Education, the Railroad Commission and judicial seats. All Texans will have the opportunity to vote for candidates in statewide races, but other contests will depend on where you live.
Check sample ballots for the counties around Houston and southeast Texas.
- Harris County sample ballots: Democrats | Republicans
- Montgomery County sample ballots: Democrats | Republicans
- Fort Bend County sample ballots: Democrats and Republicans
- Galveston County sample ballots: Democrats and Republicans
- Brazoria County sample ballots: Democrats and Republicans
- Chambers County sample ballots: Democrats and Republicans (bottom of page)
- Grimes County sample ballots: Democrats and Republicans (left side of the page)
- Liberty County sample ballots: Democrats | Republicans
- Waller County sample ballots: Democrats and Republicans
- Wharton County sample ballots: Democrats and Republicans
- Walker County sample ballots: Democrats and Republicans
- Polk County sample ballots: Democrats | Republicans
- San Jacinto County sample ballots: Democrats and Republicans (bottom of page)
- Matagorda County sample ballots: Democrats | Republicans
- Colorado County sample ballots Democrats and Republicans (Bottom of page under '2020 Election information')
Where do I vote?
These are the voting locations around Houston and southeast Texas.
To Find out if you're registered and to find your polling location, the Texas Secretary of State has created a form to look that up.
Who is running for president?
The president launched his reelection campaign on the day of his inauguration. While Trump has high popularity among Republicans and was given his highest approval rating yet from Gallup in early February, he has yet to break an average 50 percent overall approval rating in most polls.
This is Biden's third run for the presidency. He was elected to seven terms in the U.S. Senate before serving as Barack Obama's vice president. Biden has said he would campaign as an "Obama-Biden Democrat," who is as pragmatic as he is progressive.
The former New York City mayor and one of the world’s richest men jumped into the field late in November 2019. A senior adviser said Bloomberg would not accept a single political donation for his campaign or take a salary should he become president.
Gabbard is a major in the U.S. Army National Guard and is calling for an end to regime-change wars. She faces controversy over previously held anti-gay views but says she is now an LGBT supporter.
Sanders finished second to Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination in 2016. Despite running as a Democrat, Sanders has labeled himself as an independent throughout his political career. He's campaigning on getting money out of politics, Medicare For All and battling climate change.
Warren is an expert on bankruptcy law and is known for her advocacy of protections for consumers. Has proposed a wealth tax and a massive program to forgive student loan debt.
The self-described Reagan Republican has called on President Trump to resign since the release of Robert Mueller's report into the 2016 election. But, some state Republican parties are canceling their primaries and giving their delegates to Trump, so Weld's chances of taking the nomination away are virtually nonexistent.
Democratic Senate debate
On February 18, the Democratic candidates for Texas Senate faced off in a debate on KVUE, KHOU's sister station. You can watch that debate below..
U.S. Senate candidates
There are 12 Democrats running during the primary for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by John Cornyn.
In the Republican primary, Cornyn faces John Anthony Castro, Virgil Bierschwale, Mark Yancey and Dwayne Stovall.