Texas State Senate District 31
Texas State Senate District 31 is represented by Kevin Sparks (R).
As of the 2020 Census, Texas state senators represented an average of 941,396 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 815,110 residents.
About the office
Members of the Texas State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Texas legislators assume office at the beginning of the legislative session, which starts at noon on the second Tuesday in January in the year after the election.[1][2]
One-half of the Senate membership is elected every two years in even-numbered years, with the exception that all 31 Senate seats are up for election for the first legislature following the decennial census in order to reflect the newly redrawn districts. After the initial election, the Senate is divided by lot into two classes, with one class having a re-election after two years and the other having a re-election after four years.[3]
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the Texas State Senate, a candidate must be:[4]
- A U.S. citizen
- 26 years old before the general election
- A five-year resident of Texas before the general election
- A district resident for one year prior to the general election
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[5] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $7,200/year | $221/day |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Texas State Legislature, the governor must call a special election to fill the vacant seat.[6] A governor's proclamation to hold a special election must be delivered to county judges in the legislative district no later than 36 days before the scheduled election.[7]
The secretary of state can declare a candidate duly elected in a special election if there is no opposition.[8]
See sources: Texas Elec. Code § 203.001 et. seq.
District map
Redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Texas
In Texas, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the Texas State Legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.[9]
If the state legislature is unable to approve a state legislative redistricting plan, a backup commission must draw the lines (the backup commission is not involved in congressional redistricting). This backup commission, established in 1948, comprises the following members:[9]
- Lieutenant governor
- Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
- Attorney general
- State comptroller
- Commissioner of the General Land Office
The Texas Constitution requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and "that they preserve whole counties when population mandates permit."[9]
2020-2023
State legislative maps enacted in 2023
Texas enacted new legislative district boundaries in June 2023 for use in 2024 and until the 2030 census. These districts were the same as those enacted by the state in October 2021. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed HB 1000 — establishing state House district boundaries — on June 12, 2023, and he allowed SB 375 — establishing state Senate district boundaries — to become law without his signature on June 18, 2023.[10][11]
The Texas Tribune's James Barragan wrote in January 2023 that Senate Legislative Redistricting Committee Chairwoman Joan Huffman (R) said the state was re-doing the redistricting process "to ensure that Legislature had met its constitutional requirement to apportion districts in the first regular session after the publishing of the results of the federal census, which is done every 10 years. Because of the pandemic, census numbers were not released until after the end of the last regularly scheduled legislative session on May 31, 2021. Redistricted maps were passed in a subsequent special session that year."[12] Texas had originally enacted new state legislative districts on October 25, 2021.
State Senate map
Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle. The map on the right was in effect for Texas’ 2024 state legislative elections.
Texas State Senate Districts
until January 9, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Texas State Senate Districts
starting January 10, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
State House map
Below is the state House map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle. The map on the right was in effect for Texas' 2024 state legislative elections.
Texas State House Districts
until January 9, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Texas State House Districts
starting January 10, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
State legislative maps enacted in 2021
Texas had originally enacted new state legislative districts on October 25, 2021. After both sets of legislative district maps passed their respective chambers, the House and Senate both approved maps for the other chamber's districts on October 15, 2021. The House approved the Senate map by an 81-60 vote, and the Senate approved the House map by an 18-13 vote.[13] Gov. Abbott signed both maps into law on October 25, 2021.[14]These maps took effect for Texas' 2022 legislative elections.
In a filing for a motion to stay in League of United Latin American Citizens, et al., v. Abbott, et al., in April 2022, legal representatives from the state said, “...article III, section 28 of the Texas Constitution requires that “[t]he Legislature shall, at its first regular session after the publication of each United States decennial census, apportion the state into senatorial and representative districts, agreeable to the provisions of Sections 25 and 26 of” Article III of the Constitution. In this instance, due to the U.S. Census Bureau’s delays in releasing the necessary data, that first regular session is the 2023 regular session. The State has already acknowledged that while federal law required the State to reapportion sooner than 2023, that does not relieve the State of its obligation to enact redistricting legislation in 2023 as required by its Constitution.”[15]
Reactions to 2021 state legislative maps
Lt. Gov Dan Patrick (R) said of the Senate map: "This map illustrates our commitment to making sure every Texan is well-represented in their state Legislature and their voices are heard."[16] State Rep. Rafael Anchia (D) said the Senate proposal did not adequately reflect the racial composition of the state. “There are nearly three times as many districts that are majority white compared to majority Hispanic,” Anchia said.
State Rep. Todd Hunter (R) said the House map “achieves fair representation for the citizens of Texas.” State Sen. Eddie Lucio (D) criticized revisions to the House districts in the Rio Grande Valley, saying “In my time in the Legislature, I have never seen such blatant disregard for the process.”[17]
Below are the maps in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle. The map on the right was in effect for Texas' 2024 state legislative elections.
Texas State Senate District 31
until January 9, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Texas State Senate District 31
starting January 10, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2022
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2022
General election
The general election was canceled. Kevin Sparks won election in the general election for Texas State Senate District 31.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 31
Kevin Sparks defeated Tim Reid, Stormy Bradley, and Jesse Quackenbush in the Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 31 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kevin Sparks | 54.9 | 45,867 | |
| Tim Reid | 22.8 | 19,039 | ||
| Stormy Bradley | 16.2 | 13,573 | ||
| Jesse Quackenbush | 6.1 | 5,101 | ||
| Total votes: 83,580 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2018
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Texas State Senate District 31
Incumbent Kel Seliger defeated Jack Westbrook in the general election for Texas State Senate District 31 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kel Seliger (R) | 87.5 | 174,367 | |
| Jack Westbrook (L) | 12.5 | 24,869 | ||
| Total votes: 199,236 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 31
Incumbent Kel Seliger defeated Mike Canon and Victor Leal in the Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 31 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kel Seliger | 50.4 | 40,653 | |
| Mike Canon | 31.4 | 25,314 | ||
| Victor Leal | 18.2 | 14,669 | ||
| Total votes: 80,636 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for 15 of the 31 seats in the Texas State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 4, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was December 9, 2013. Incumbent Kel Seliger defeated Mike Canon in the Republican primary. Seliger defeated Steven Gibson (L) in the general election.[18][19][20]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Kel Seliger Incumbent |
90.4% | 107,030 | |
| Libertarian | Steven Gibson | 9.6% | 11,355 | |
| Total Votes | 118,385 | |||
2012
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of Texas State Senate consisted of a primary election on May 29, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. Kel Seliger (R) was unchallenged in the general election. Seliger defeated Randy Rives in the Republican primary election.[21] In 2012, a total of $1,041,496 was raised in campaign contributions. Seliger raised $989,613, and Rives raised $51,883 before being defeated in the primary election.[22]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Kel Seliger Incumbent |
75.9% | 49,966 |
| Randy Rives | 24.1% | 15,874 |
| Total Votes | 65,840 | |
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2022, candidates for Texas State Senate District 31 raised a total of $12,767,209. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $555,096 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Texas State Senate District 31 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2022 | $2,363,837 | 4 | $590,959 |
| 2018 | $2,982,361 | 4 | $745,590 |
| 2014 | $1,475,895 | 3 | $491,965 |
| 2012 | $1,041,496 | 2 | $520,748 |
| 2010 | $416,749 | 1 | $416,749 |
| 2008 | $545,515 | 1 | $545,515 |
| 2006 | $261,396 | 1 | $261,396 |
| 2004 | $3,416,928 | 6 | $569,488 |
| 2002 | $263,031 | 1 | $263,031 |
| Total | $12,767,209 | 23 | $555,096 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Texas Government Code, "Title 3., Subtitle A., Sec. 301.001," accessed February 17, 2021
- ↑ Texas Constitution, "Article 3. Legislative Department, Section 4," accessed November 4, 2021
- ↑ Texas State Legislature, "Texas Constitution," accessed December 18, 2013(Referenced Article 3, Section 3)
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Qualifications for All Public Offices," accessed February 7, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Texas Legislature, "Election Code," accessed February 16, 2021 (Statute 3.003 (3))
- ↑ Texas Legislature, "Election Code," accessed February 16, 2021 (Statute 3.003 (3)(b)-(c))
- ↑ Texas Legislature, "Election Code," accessed February 16, 2021 (Statute 2.055)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 All About Redistricting, "Texas," accessed May 7, 2015
- ↑ Texas Legislature Online, "Bill: HB 1000," accessed June 21, 2023
- ↑ Texas Legislature Online, "Bill: SB 375," accessed June 21, 2023
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Texas Senate votes to take up redistricting again," January 11, 2023
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Lawmakers send to Gov. Greg Abbott new political maps that would further solidify the GOP’s grip on the Texas Legislature," October 15, 2021
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Gov. Greg Abbott signs off on Texas’ new political maps, which protect GOP majorities while diluting voices of voters of color," October 25, 2021
- ↑ United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, League of United Latin American Citizens, et al., v. Abbott, et al., April 20, 2022
- ↑ Austin American-Statesman, "Texas Senate gives final OK to Senate redistricting map," October 4, 2021
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Lawmakers send to Gov. Greg Abbott new political maps that would further solidify the GOP’s grip on the Texas Legislature," October 15, 2021
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current ELECTION HISTORY," accessed December 2, 2014
- ↑ Green Party of Texas, "Greens Release Candidate List," accessed July 26, 2014
- ↑ The Libertarian Party of Texas, "2014 Texas Senate Candidates List," accessed July 26, 2014
- ↑ Office of the Secretary of State, "State of Texas 2012 General Election," November 6, 2012
- ↑ followthemoney.org, "State of Texas 2012 Senate Candidates," accessed November 27, 2013
