Election Notice:  Election Night Returns
EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 1, 2023, OUR LOBBY WALK-IN HOURS WILL BE 9 A.M. - 4 P.M. (CENTRAL), MONDAY - FRIDAY.

Election Advisory No. 2024-25

To: County Election Officials and County Chairs
From: Christina Worrell Adkins, Director of Elections
Christina Adkins signature
Date: August 29, 2024
RE: Ballot Preparation and Sample Ballots for November 5, 2024 General Election

The list of candidates for federal, state, and district offices, as certified by the Secretary of State, is available on our website. Additionally, a listing of all offices is available by county (PDF). The county election officer is the authority responsible for preparing the official ballot for the November 5, 2024 General Election for State and County Officers. This memo contains instructions on how to prepare your ballot. Additionally, the Sample Ballot (PDF) for the November 5, 2024 General Election for State and County officers is available on our website to assist you in your preparation.

Names of Candidates for the Ballot

  1. Major Party Nominees (Republican Party and Democratic Party): Major party candidates for federal, state, district, county, and precinct offices in your county are posted on our website.

    NOTE: The list includes any replacement nominees or nominees due to a vacancy that occurred after December 6, 2023. (Sections 145.036 and 202.006, Texas Election Code)

  2. Convention Party Nominees (Libertarian Party and Green Party) for Federal, State and District Offices: Convention party candidates for federal, state, and district offices in your county are posted on our website.

  3. Convention Party Nominees (Libertarian Party and Green Party) for County and Precinct Offices: Convention parties in each county certify their candidates directly to the county election officer. The convention party candidates for county and precinct offices will not be listed on your county’s individual certification unless they were entered by the county election officer.

  4. Independent Candidates for Federal, State and District Offices: Independent candidates for federal, state, and district offices in your county are posted on our website.

  5. Independent Candidates for County and Precinct Offices: The county judge should certify to you, not later than August 29, 2024, the names of independent candidates for county and precinct offices, if any. The independent candidates for county and precinct offices will not be listed on your county’s individual certification unless they were entered by the county election officer.

    FORM: Certification of Independent Candidates by County Judge (PDF)

Names of Write-in Candidates for List of Declared Write-In Candidates

  1. Write-In Candidates for Federal, State and District Offices: The certified list of write-in candidates (PDF) for federal, state and district office are posted on our website.

  2. Write-In Candidates for County and Precinct Offices: The county judge should certify to you, not later than August 29, 2024, the names of write-in candidates for county and precinct offices, if any.

     FORM: Certificate of Write‑in Candidacy (For County and Precinct Offices (PDF))

Ballot Preparation Instructions

Our office suggests that you have the official ballot prepared, tested, and ready for use on or before Saturday, September 21, 2024 to comply with the deadline set by the Federal MOVE Act for voters outside the United States who have requested ballots by mail. If the official ballot is not ready to mail out on or before September 21, 2024, then you must prepare emergency paper ballots. The emergency ballots must be mailed to voters outside the United States who have requested mail ballots on or before September 21, 2024. YOU CANNOT DELAY THE SENDING OUT OF THE BALLOTS TO VOTERS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES. Not having the official ballot ready is not a reason to miss this deadline.

The order of statewide, district, county, and precinct offices on the ballot and the order of parties on the ballot are governed by Sections 52.091 and 52.092 of the Election Code. In accordance with Section 52.094(a) of the Election Code, if there is more than one independent candidate for an office, there must be a ballot drawing. Other issues concerning the form of the ballot are governed by Subchapter C of Chapter 52 of the Election Code.

If you are using an electronic voting system, you will not be able to follow the party column format as it appears on the sample ballot. Instead, you must list the party affiliation (or Independent) to the right of each candidate’s name. You may abbreviate the party affiliation (or Independent) as indicated on the ballot certification or print the party name (or Independent). If an abbreviation is used, the meaning of the abbreviation must be stated. (See memo regarding the printing of the legend.) If you print the name of the party, be sure to use Republican, Democratic (not Democrat), Libertarian and Green.

Please note that county chairs and precinct chairs do not appear on the General Election ballot.

Information specific to preparing your ballots with write-in candidates and independent candidates, as well as printing the required legend instructions for party abbreviations has been issued in Advisory No. 2024-26.

Changes in Law Made by Senate Bill 1089

Senate Bill 1089 (88th Leg., R.S., 2023) repealed Section 2.056 of the Election Code and consequently eliminated the ability of the Secretary of State and county election officers to declare unopposed candidates for county, district, and statewide offices elected and to cancel the elections for the unopposed offices. Therefore, unopposed candidates will appear on the ballot and must receive at least one vote to be elected to office.

NOTE: This bill did not change the mandatory cancellation of an election for local political subdivisions (cities, schools, and other local government districts) under Section 2.051 of the Election Code.

Separate Listing of Unopposed Candidates for Electronic Voting Systems

For counties using electronic voting systems, you have the authority to group your unopposed races and bloc vote them, per Section 124.003 of the Election Code. Specifically, any unopposed candidates may be listed separately under the heading “Uncontested Races” on a voting system ballot. In an election in which the ballots indicated political party alignment, such as the general election for state and county officers, the party alignment of the candidates listed under the uncontested races heading shall be indicated next to the candidate’s name. Additionally, candidates listed under the uncontested races heading may be arranged in a manner requiring voting on them as one or more blocs, but only if an additional ballot would otherwise be necessary to accommodate all the candidates and propositions to be listed.

If you have any questions regarding this Advisory or the information enclosed, please call the Elections Division at (800) 252-2216 or email Elections@sos.texas.gov.

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