What you need to know about Texas' November midterm elections
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – From the Texas Governor's race to a slew of local elections – there's a lot to keep your eyes on in November. Here's a breakdown of the dates to keep track of and the races you should know about before casting your ballot.
Dates to keep in mind:
Last day to apply for a mail-in ballot: Must be received by Friday, Oct. 28
Early voting period: Monday, Oct. 24 – Friday, Nov. 4
Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 8
What you need to vote:
Voting in Texas requires photo ID. Here are the seven acceptable forms:
- Texas Driver License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
- 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
If you do not have one of the seven acceptable forms of photo ID and cannot reasonably obtain one, you can still cast a ballot by presenting a supporting form of ID and executing a Reasonable Impediment Declaration. For more information on that or on elections in Texas, visit VoteTexas.gov.
Key races:
The Texas Governor's Race
The big item on the ballot in November is the Texas Governor's race. Two-term incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is facing a challenge from former U.S. Congressman Democrat Beto O'Rourke.
Polls have consistently shown Abbott in the lead by single digits. The RealClear Politics average of polls shows him leading O'Rourke by 8.5 percentage points.
When it comes to fundraising, O'Rourke narrowly raised more money than Abbott from July 1 to Sept. 29. O'Rourke's campaign says it brought in $25.18 million, while Abbott's campaign took in nearly $25 million.
In one-on-one interviews with CBS 11 political reporter Jack Fink, both candidates laid out their plans for school safety, the economy and the future of the Texas power grid.
Watch Jack's full interview with Gov. Greg Abbott here and his full interview with Abbott's challenger Beto O'Rourke here. You can also watch highlights from the one and only gubernatorial debate here.
The Lieutenant Governor's Race
The race for Texas Lieutenant Governor is another one to watch this election cycle. Incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is being challenged by Democrat Mike Collier – it's a rematch of 2018.
Recent polls show Patrick leading the race over Collier ranging from six to 11 percentage points. But Collier has made headlines for gaining endorsements from at least four Republicans in Texas: retiring Tarrant County Judge Glenn Whitley, retiring state Sen. Kel Seliger, former Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff and retiring state Rep. Lyle Larson.
Watch Jack's recent chat with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick here and his September interview with Collier here.
Texas Attorney General's Race
In the race for Texas Attorney General, Democrat Rochelle Garza is challenging Republican incumbent Ken Paxton.
Paxton has maintained a small lead in the polls. A Dallas Morning News – University of Texas at Tyler poll of registered voters show Paxton leading Garza by 37% to 30%.
The Attorney General still faces a trial on state felony fraud charges seven years after he was indicted. He's also reportedly under investigation by the FBI on unrelated allegations of bribery made by his former top lieutenants. Paxton has pleaded not guilty to the state fraud charges and has denied any wrong-doing amid the bribery allegations.
Watch Jack's one-on-one with Garza here. Paxton has denied our request for an interview.
Tarrant County Judge's Race
Here in North Texas, one of the big contests is the race for Tarrant County Judge.
Republican Tim O'Hare and Democrat Deborah Peoples are vying to succeed Republican Glen Whitley, who's retiring this year.
O'Hare has been running on the message of lowering property taxes, eliminating waste, fraud and abuse, and creating a position for an elections integrity officer. Peoples lists economic development, infrastructure and affordable housing as some of her priorities.
You can watch Jack's interview with Peoples here and his interview with O'Hare here.
Dallas County District Attorney
Another political rematch from 2018 is happening in Dallas County in the District Attorney's race. Republican Faith Johnson is trying to unseat Democrat John Creuzot.
Creuzot defeated Johnson four years ago, when she was District Attorney.
Johnson said in her conversations with residents, she's heard concern about rising crime. If elected, she said her first priority would be to reinstitute a policy of prosecuting theft cases under $750 and reinstituting the AIM Program, which is designed to reduce recidivism rates.
Johnson has also criticized Creuzot for not pursuing the death penalty in certain recent capital murder cases.
Meanwhile, Creuzot said he believes he deserves to be re-elected. On the death penalty criticism, he said an automatic life sentence is a more efficient and cost-effective way to hold people accountable.
Creuzot also said his office has prosecuted 681 capital murder cases and his conviction rate is up to 93% from 87% under Johnson.
Watch Jack's one-on-one with Johnson here and his interview with Creuzot here.
For more election headlines visit the Voters Decide section of CBSDFW.com. And be sure to join our 24/7 streaming channel CBS News DFW on election night, Nov. 8. We'll be streaming live results and analysis beginning at 7 p.m.