AUSTIN, Texas — A recent post on Reddit asked about why the sample ballot in Williamson County lists Republicans at the top of each race, even though Democrats are the incumbents in some of them.
The broader question: What determines ballot order in Texas? For example, in both Williamson and Travis counties, the comprehensive sample ballots list the Republican candidates in federal, state and local races before the Democratic candidates.
That's because the Texas Election Code states, "Parties … shall be arranged in descending order of the number of votes received statewide by each party's candidate for governor in the most recent gubernatorial race."
In 2022, Gov. Greg Abbott won the election over Beto O'Rourke by about 880,000 votes statewide. That's why Republicans get listed first on ballots, regardless of county.
So if that's how partisan elections work, what about nonpartisan ones, like the races for mayor or city council? The Election Code states that the authority over those races – like the city or the county – will do a public drawing to determine the order.
In Austin, the city holds a ballot drawing process, where candidates' names are written on ping pong balls and picked out of a spinner, bingo-style. A lot of Texas cities use a similar format to decide how names should appear for nonpartisan races.
The deadline to register to vote is Monday, Oct. 7, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Take a look at our vote guide for what you need to know before you head to the polls. And for more on which races you may see on your ballot, click here.