Every two years our great nation exercises one of our most cherished rights, to elect our state, federal and local leaders through our democratic process. Our election process in Texas will start in four short weeks when voters in the Lone Star State go to the polls to cast their votes in our primary elections. Regardless of your political beliefs or party preference, I encourage you to be a part of the record voter turnout expected on March 2nd.
Texas hosts a primary election so that each political party can determine their party’s nominees for the November general election. When multiple candidates from the same party decide to run for the same office, which is a common occurrence, those candidates must first run for the party nomination in the primary election process. This makes participating in the primary process very important.
On March 2nd, each major party will have competitive primary elections for certain statewide offices in Texas as well as down ballot races. If you are planning to vote in the Democratic primary here in Denton County, you will be taking part in choosing your party’s nominee for such offices as: Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Agricultural Commissioner. If you are planning to vote in the Republican primary, you will be taking part in choosing your party’s nominee for Governor as well as many down ballot races such as: US Representative, Justice of the Peace, County Court at Law, District Attorney and even two State Representative races.
With the importance that is at stake for both major parties coupled with the responsibility we all share for participating in our election process so that party nominees accurately reflect the will of the voting population, I encourage you to get out and vote this spring. As you prepare to vote, here is some helpful information to keep in mind.
Early voting for this primary election begins on February 16th, with voting concluding on Election Day, March 2nd. When you go to vote, make sure to have either your voter registration card or your drivers license. For information on voting locations, please visit http://elections.dentoncounty.com
It is also important to understand that you can vote in either the Democratic primary or the Republican primary, but not both. Since Texas does not require voters to register their membership with a political party, you can choose to vote in which primary you prefer, regardless if you have ever voted in that party primary before. And finally, I encourage you to make informed decisions by knowing which offices you will be voting on and understanding each candidate’s positions on the critical issues. For information on statewide primary candidates, you can visit both party websites at http://www.texasgop.org/ and at http://www.txdemocrats.org/. For more information on local candidates running in races specific to Denton County, you can also visit www.dentongop.org and www.dentondemocrats.org.
As always, it is an honor to serve you in the Texas House of Representatives, and I welcome any questions or comments you may have on critical state issues. Please feel free to call my capitol office at 512.463.0688 or call the district office at 972.724.8477. You can also send me an email at tan.parker@house.state.tx.us. Additionally, the first Saturday of every month I hold open office hours from 8 – 10am at my district office located at: 800 Parker Square, Suite 245, Flower Mound, TX 75028.
