Ballotpedia has some interesting Texas election tidbits

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Texas is about to dive into the general election season, and Ballotpedia has some interesting facts about what voters in the Lone Star State can expect.

Looking at some key dates and deadlines in Texas, the deadline for registering in person and by mail was October 7. Early voting begins on Monday, October 21 and ends on November 1. All polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (local time). Everyone who is in line when the polls close must be allowed to vote. Ballotpedia listed Texas’ time zone as “local time” because all of Texas is in Central Time except for El Paso and Hudspeth counties, which are in Mountain Time. According to USA Today, Texas is one of 15 states with more than one time zone.

What’s on the ballot?

• Texas voters will elect one U.S. Senator and 38 U.S. Representatives. Four districts are open because an incumbent is not running for re-election.
• There will also be a special election to fill the remainder of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's (D) unexpired term.
• Seven seats on the Texas State Board of Education, including two open seats, are up for election. There is also one seat on the ballot for the Texas Railroad Commission.
• Fifteen seats in the state Senate and all 150 seats in the state House are up for election. There is one open seat in the state Senate and 16 in the state House.
• There will also be a special election to fill the remainder of state Rep. Charles Anderson’s (R) unexpired term.
• Three seats on the Texas Supreme Court and three on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals are up for election. All three seats on the court of criminal appeals are open. There are also 46 seats up for election on the Texas Intermediate Appellate Court, including 16 open seats.
• There are 28 school boards up for election in Texas. The districts these boards represent are part of the 475 school districts included in Ballotpedia's coverage of school board elections. This includes all school districts in the nation's largest cities and school districts.
• Municipal elections will be held in 13 counties and four cities across Texas.
• Texas is one of 26 states where Ballotpedia is expanding its local election coverage beyond the nation's biggest cities, school districts, and state capitals. Including those mentioned above, Ballotpedia will cover elections for offices such as local councils and other county-level positions.

There is also a sample ballot available for any Texan wishing to see exactly who and what they are voting for. This ballot, based on your address of voter registration, can be found at https://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup.