Early voting for Texas' 2026 midterm election starts October 19 and runs through October 30. Election Day is November 3. The voter registration deadline was October 5. More than 18 million Texans are registered to vote, over 1 million more than in 2022.
Where
Statewide
When
Early voting begins October 19, 2026
Sources
Reported by 34 outlets
Taxes and money
None stated in sources.
Coming up
Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 7:00 AM. Election Day for Texas 2026 midterm election (Statewide)24
Who's involved
Chris LynchRockwall County elections administrator
Texas Secretary of Stateelection official
The facts
Early voting runs October 19 through October 30, 2026.24Stated by 2 sources
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.24Stated by 2 sources
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
Republican Nate Sheets and Democrat Clayton Tucker are running for Texas agriculture commissioner, with each questioning whether the other meets legal requirements for the office. Sheets won the Republican primary earlier this year, defeating incumbent Sid Miller who has led the department since 2015.
$over $250,000 for campaign loan from candidate
Nate Sheets, Republican candidate for Texas agriculture commissioner, honey entrepreneur and former Christian missionary from Dallas area; Clayton Tucker, Democratic candidate for Texas agriculture commissioner, political organizer and secretary of Texas Farmer's Union from Lampasas area; Sid Miller, Texas agriculture commissioner since 2015, lost Republican primary earlier this year
Texas-born actor Matthew McConaughey posted a social media video urging Americans to reconsider voting for independent candidates, arguing they deserve a stronger voice in politics. His posts drew criticism from social media users and others.
Matthew McConaughey, Actor who posted video urging independent voters; Howi Spangler, Musician who commented on McConaughey's post; Kelly Gaulrapp, Social media user who commented on McConaughey's post and 1 more
Multiple Texas counties reported record-breaking or significantly higher first-day early voting turnout on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. Collin County experienced temporary printer outages at 10 polling locations that were resolved within 90 minutes, while Travis, Harris, and Dallas counties all set or approached midterm election records.
Collin County Election Administrator Kaleb Breaux, Collin County Election Administrator; Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado, Travis County Clerk; David Thomason, Director of the Kozmetsky Center for Civic Engagement at St. Edward's University and 1 more
Hays County voters will choose among candidates for county judge, county district attorney, and Kyle mayor in the Nov. 3 election. Early voting runs Oct. 19-30.
Michelle Gutierrez Cohen, Democratic candidate for Hays County judge, current county commissioner Precinct 2; Geoffrey Tahuahua, Republican candidate for Hays County judge, Dripping Springs City Council member; Liz Sumter Gajdos, Independent candidate for Hays County judge, former county judge 2007-2010 and 5 more
Dallas Young Republicans Secretary Sarah Gardner challenged Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico over his comments on faith during a town hall debate. Gardner argued his policies are out of step with Texas voters' values.
Sarah Gardner, Dallas Young Republicans Secretary; James Talarico, Democratic Texas Senate candidate
Early voting is underway in the 2026 midterm elections. In Texas, Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico and Republican nominee Ken Paxton are campaigning on economic concerns as they focus on the closely watched Senate race.
James Talarico, Democratic Senate nominee; Ken Paxton, Republican Senate nominee; Donald Trump, President, campaigning for Republican candidates
Early voting started in Smith County on Monday, October 19, with long lines reported at The Hub in downtown Tyler. The county reported 5,859 ballots cast in-person and 1,301 mail-in ballots received on the first day, totaling 7,160 votes.
Smith County, county election authority; Smith County Pct. 1 Constable's Office, traffic patrol assistance
Republican incumbent Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham faces Democratic challenger Benjamin Flores in the November 2026 election. Buckingham, a former state senator and physician, has served as land commissioner since 2023. Flores says disaster recovery and transparent land management are priorities.
$nearly $890,000 for campaign funds raised in most recent reporting period
Dawn Buckingham, Republican candidate, incumbent Texas Land Commissioner; Benjamin Flores, Democratic candidate for Texas Land Commissioner