It is once again election season, which means it is time to get organized and prepared to go to the polls.
If you are not already registered to vote in Wichita County, or are unsure, I wrote a guide a few semesters ago to help you through the process.
Important Dates
- Feb. 17 – The start of early voting for the primaries
- Feb. 20 – The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot
- Feb. 27 – The end of early voting
- Mar. 3 – The primary election voting day
- May 26 – The primary runoff election
- Nov. 3 – The general election day
Though there are many positions in our state and local governments up for election this year, some of the positions to pay close attention to are:
U.S. Senate and the U.S. House
Senators and congressmen represent Texans when making federal legislative decisions. We elect two representatives to the Senate and 38 representatives to the House.
Currently, both Texas senators and 25 out of the 38 representatives in the house are Republicans.
In Wichita Falls, our current house representative is congressman Ronny Jackson, who is running for reelection. He is running against Chasity Wedgeworth in the primaries.
In the Democratic primaries, Mark Nair is running unopposed.
Governor
Our governor is the commander-in-chief of the state. Their role is similar to the U.S. president’s role, but on a state rather than federal level.
Our current governor is Gov. Gregg Abbott, who is up for reelection this year. He is running against 10 other candidates in the republican primaries.
Lieutenant Governor
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is part of the executive branch of the state government. In Texas, the role of the lieutenant governor is tasked with casting the tie breaking vote when the senate is evenly divided, is co-chair of the Legislative Budget Board and establishes all special and standing committees in the state senate, among other things.
Dan Patrick is our current lieutenant governor and is up for reelection.
The state senate and house play a similar role to the U.S. Senate and House, but on a smaller level. They make state legislative decisions and represent different districts in the state.
Attorney General
The attorney general is exactly what it sounds like. The Attorney General defends the laws and state constitution, represents Texas in litigation and approves public bond issues.
Ken Paxton is our current attorney general but is not up for re-election.
Commissioner of Agriculture
The commissioner of agriculture is the head of the Texas Department of Agriculture. According to their website, “The agency’s key objectives are to promote production agriculture, consumer protection, economic development and healthy living.”
The current commissioner of agriculture is Sid Miller and he is up for reelection.
State Senate
Wichita County is represented by Senate District 28 and 30. However, the majority of Wichita County is represented by District 28.
There is no primary election happening in either district. This is because District 30 is not having an election this year, and there is only one candidate for each party in District 28.
Our current representative Charles Perry is running as the Republican candidate for District 28. Riley Rodriquez is running in opposition as the Democrat candidate.
State House
Wichita County is represented by House District 69. There are no Democrat or Republican primaries in this district.
In November, current state representative James Frank will be running against Leilani Barnett for their seat in the State House of Representatives.
State Supreme Court
The state Supreme Court works like the federal Supreme Court, with a few key differences. The Texas Supreme court is the highest civil court in the state. Unlike the federal Supreme Court, the Texas State Supreme Court has term limits, age limits and the residents of Texas elect Supreme Court justices.
