E2. Texas RoundUP: On The Texas Primary Season

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This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:

Hi, I’m Melissa Bill and this is The Texas Roundup where Texas meets the world! 

Today we are talking about the upcoming Texas Elections.

The next couple of months are an intense time for the country and the individual states as they head towards election day. From the U.S presidency, with its heated race between Former President Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris, to the run for open house and senate seats.

The United States Senator race includes candidate Colin Allred, a favorite during the Democratic primary, who now faces off with Senator Ted Cruz. Both candidates stand firm on polarizing issues including the Texas Border crisis, abortion laws and immigration.

During the Republican National Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Cruz gave a speech, addressing the situation at the Texas border. 

If you want more information on the two candidates, both Senator Cruz and Congressman Allred have websites, which give details on where they stand on key issues and their past voting records on legislation.

When we come back, we’ll discuss other important seats up for reelection. Please don’t forget to subscribe and like. We’ll be back to talk more about the 2024 campaign

Now it’s time to look at a few other seats up for office

While Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton are not on the ballot, control of the Texas Republican Party is an issue remaining front and center, with each leader backing opposing candidates.

This year, Texans have the opportunity to cast their ballots for Texas officials running for office seats at the federal, state and local levels. 

Seats up for vote include representatives in the U.S. and Texas house; Railroad Commissioner seats, State Senators, State Board of Education members, and members of the Texas Supreme Court.

Jimmy Blacklock, a judge currently on the Texas Supreme Court Is running for re-election and is one of two candidates up for place 2 judge on the ballot in the general election being held on November 5, 2024. 

Blacklock was appointed by Governor Abbott as a Justice to the Texas Supreme Court, in January 2018. 

DaSean Jones is the democratic candidate also running for place 2 judge on the court. He is currently a judge of the Texas 180th District Court, assuming office on January 1, 2019

Today’s Texas Supreme Court is made up entirely of elected Republicans and considered one of the most conservative state supreme courts in the country. The court has delivered decisions in a handful of cases that have made headlines including one on abortion restrictions. 

The Texas Supreme Court unanimously rejected  the most significant challenge to Texas’ new abortion laws yet, ruling that the medical exceptions in the law were broad enough to withstand constitutional challenge.

The Texas Supreme Court is just one of numerous seats in offices up for election this year. 

For anyone looking for more information on state voting, The Texas Secretary of State site has a full list of offices up for election and the candidates looking to fill those seats.

The upcoming statewide general elections are held on November 5, 2024. It’s important to know  your district and make sure you’re registered to vote. 

When we come back, we are going to talk more about voting registration and districts.

Now we are going to talk a little bit about how to verify voter registration and get background on the candidates

You can check to see if you’re registered and verify your information through the Texas Secretary of State’s website. You’ll need one of the following three combinations to log in: Your Texas driver’s license number and date of birth. Your first and last names, date of birth and county you reside in. 

The Secretary of State’s Elections Division provides assistance to the general public on voter registration and other election issues through their 1-800 toll-free number, 1-800-252-VOTE (8683), or website: Welcome to Texas Elections

For more information on the candidates, you can visit Ballotpedia.org.

The majority of candidates also have X (formerly Twitter) pages where they comment on issues and share their thoughts on topics relevant to this year’s election..

Well that’s a wrap for today. Remember to subscribe and please let us know what’s on your mind.

What’s important to you? Share a few subjects that you would like us to cover and we’ll do our best to include them in our next episode.

Have a great week ahead and stay tuned for the next segment of the Texas Roundup