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Texas elections, 2012
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Texas's 2012 elections U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Other executive offices • State Senate • State House • Candidate ballot access |
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| Other elections | |
|---|---|
| View elections by state and year: | |
| Contents |
|---|
| 1 2012 Elections |
| 2 Eligibility to Vote |
| 2.1 Primary election |
| 2.2 General election |
| 3 Voting absentee |
| 3.1 Eligibility |
| 3.2 Deadlines |
| 3.3 Military and overseas voting |
| 4 Voting early |
| 5 See also |
| 6 References |
The state of Texas held elections in 2012. Below are the dates of note:
- Signature filing deadline: March 9, 2012
- Primary date: May 29, 2012
- General election date: November 6, 2012
| On the 2012 ballot | Click here for all November 6, 2012 Election Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senate (1 seat) | Preview Article | ||
| U.S. House (36 seats) | |||
| State Executives (2 down-ballot seats) | Preview Article | ||
| State Senate (31 seats) | Preview Article | ||
| State House (150 seats) | |||
| Ballot measures (0 measures) | N/A | ||
2012 Elections
For election results in the 50 states, see our November 6, 2012 election results page
Elections by type
U.S. Senate
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Ted Cruz |
56.5% | 4,440,137 | |
| Democratic | Paul Sadler | 40.6% | 3,194,927 | |
| Libertarian | John Jay Myers | 2.1% | 162,354 | |
| Green | David B. Collins | 0.9% | 67,404 | |
| Total Votes | 7,864,822 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
U.S. House
| Members of the U.S. House from Texas -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 9 | 12 | |
| Republican Party | 23 | 24 | |
| Total | 32 | 36 | |
State Executives
There were two state executive positions up for election.
- Texas Railroad Commission (2 seats)
| Texas Railroad Commissioner 2 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Christi Craddick |
56.2% | 4,336,499 | |
| Democratic | Dale Henry | 39.6% | 3,057,733 | |
| Libertarian | Vivekananda Wall | 2.2% | 173,001 | |
| Green | Chris Kennedy | 2% | 153,664 | |
| Total Votes | 7,720,897 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State | ||||
| Texas Railroad Commissioner 3 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Barry Smitherman Incumbent |
73.8% | 4,537,625 | |
| Libertarian | Jaime Perez | 18.3% | 1,127,074 | |
| Green | Josh Wendel | 7.9% | 486,485 | |
| Total Votes | 6,151,184 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State | ||||
State Senate
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2012
Heading into the election, Republicans maintained partisan control in the state senate.
| Texas State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 12 | 12 | |
| Republican Party | 19 | 19 | |
| Total | 31 | 31 | |
State House
Heading into the election, Republicans maintained partisan control in the state house.
| Texas House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 48 | 55 | |
| Republican Party | 100 | 95 | |
| Vacancy | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 150 | 150 | |
Eligibility to Vote
Primary election
- See also: Voting in the 2012 primary elections
Texas was one of 16 states to use an open primary system. If there were runoff elections, however, voters had to stick with the same party they voted in for the first round of elections. Voters were required to register to vote in the primary by April 30, 2012, which was 29 days before the primary took place.[1] (Information about registering to vote)
General election
- See also: Voting in the 2012 general elections
The deadline to register to vote was 28 days prior to the election day, which in 2012 was October 9.[2]
Note: Some states had a voter registration deadline 30 days prior to the election but because this could have fallen on a weekend and Columbus Day was on Monday, October 8th, some extended the deadline to October 9, 2012.
- Voter ID info
- Residency requirements: Resident of Texas and county in which registering.[3]
- Same-day registration: None
Voting absentee
- See also: Absentee Voting
Texas voters are eligible to vote absentee in an election if:
- They cannot make it to the polls on Election Day because they will be away from the county on Election Day and during early voting;
- They are sick or disabled;
- They are 65 years of age or older; or
- They are confined in jail.[4]
To vote absentee, a request must be received by county election officials no later than close of regular business on the eleventh day before the election. The completed ballot must then be returned by the close of polls on Election Day.[5]
Voting early
- See also: Early voting
Texas is one of 34 states that has early voting with no specific requirements as to who can vote early. Early voting begins the 17th day before an election and ends on the fourth day prior to Election Day. The average number of days prior to an election that voters can cast an early ballot is 21 days in states with a definitive starting date.[6]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2012 Primary Election Calendar & Appendices," accessed April 19, 2012
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2012 Important Dates" accessed May 11, 2012
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Elections and Voting" accessed May 11, 2012
- ↑ VoteTexas.gov, "FAQ," accessed December 16, 2013
- ↑ VoteTexas.gov, "Early Voting," accessed December 16, 2013
- ↑ Long Distance Voter, "Early Voting Rules: Delaware," accessed December 18, 2013
