Key Points
- Republican Ken Paxton, Democrat James Talarico and Libertarian Ted Brown are printed on the Texas U.S. Senate ballot, in that order, according to the Texas Secretary of State.
- Early voting ended Friday, Oct. 30. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and in-person voters must show an approved photo ID or use a listed alternative.
- Texas polls close at 8 p.m. ET in most of the state and 9 p.m. ET in the far western corner, the AP reported.
- Counties must finish their official canvass by Nov. 17, and the governor’s state canvass is due by Dec. 7, the state’s election law calendar says.
Status as of 9:45 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 31. Candidate names, deadlines and voting rules come from the Texas Secretary of State and VoteTexas.gov. No votes have been counted.
The Texas Senate race 2026 pits Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico for the seat held for more than two decades by Sen. John Cornyn, who lost his party’s nomination to Paxton in a May runoff. This guide covers the official ballot, the final voting rules, and how Texas counts, reports and certifies its results.
What happened
Texas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1988, and President Donald Trump carried the state by more than 10 percentage points in 2024, The Associated Press reported. The AP called the election one of the biggest tests of Republican dominance in Texas.
Who is on the ballot
The Texas Secretary of State’s sample ballot for the Nov. 3 general election lists three names for United States Senator, in this order:
- Ken Paxton, Republican
- James Talarico, Democrat
- Ted Brown, Libertarian
The state’s official results page shows the same order and also lists four certified write-in candidates: Avery Ayers, Bradford “Brad” Hall, Zul Mohamed and Jade Simmons, whose names are not printed on the ballot.
How the nominees got here
Cornyn finished narrowly ahead of Paxton in the March 3 Republican primary but fell short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff, KSAT reported. Trump endorsed Paxton a week before the May 26 runoff, and Paxton won it with about 63.8% of the vote to Cornyn’s 36.2%, according to results reported by KSAT and Decision Desk HQ. The Texas Tribune described the margin as nearly 30 points.
Talarico, a 37-year-old state lawmaker from Austin, won the Democratic nomination outright on March 3, defeating U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas, according to the AP and The Texas Tribune.
Both nominees have made affordability central to their campaigns, the AP reported. Talarico has promised middle-class tax cuts, higher taxes on billionaires and repeal of Trump’s tariffs. Paxton has said he plans to cut taxes, reduce federal spending and remove regulations on energy companies, according to the AP.
Latest development
Early voting closed Friday with a record for a Texas midterm. Secretary of State data reported by CBS Texas show 7,410,631 early votes cast in person and by mail by the end of the period on Oct. 30, about 38.9% of the state’s 19,041,684 registered voters. Through the first 11 days, turnout was more than 40% above the same point in 2022, The Texas Tribune reported, citing state totals.
The race is also among the most expensive in the country. As of mid-October, Talarico had raised more than $146.3 million and Paxton $22.3 million, but outside spending has given Paxton the advantage in total spending, the AP reported. The Texas Tribune counted $408 million in advertising since the primaries. Trump and Vice President JD Vance have headlined six campaign events in Texas since Labor Day, the Tribune reported.
What the polls show
Polls are snapshots, not forecasts, and LiveNewsWorld reports only surveys with published methods. A University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs survey found 48% of likely voters backing Talarico and 46% backing Paxton, with 3% for Brown and 3% undecided. The survey of 2,000 Texas likely voters was fielded Oct. 10 to 14, 2026, by text message invitations to an online survey in English or Spanish, and was weighted using demographic and past election data. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.19 percentage points, according to the Hobby School’s published report. The survey is more than two weeks old, and other polls may differ. Our 2026 midterm election polls tracker explains how to read surveys like this one.
Why it matters
The 2026 midterms will decide control of Congress, and Texas is one of the largest prizes on the Senate map. Texas voters are also choosing a governor and members of the U.S. House under district lines redrawn in 2025, the AP reported. LiveNewsWorld does not publish predictions or win probabilities for this race.
What happens next
How to vote on Election Day
- Hours: Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to the Secretary of State.
- Photo ID: In-person voters must show one of seven acceptable forms of photo ID, such as a Texas driver’s license or a U.S. passport. For voters aged 18 to 69 the ID may be expired up to four years, and voters 70 or older may use an ID expired for any length of time, according to VoteTexas.gov.
- No photo ID: A voter who does not have and cannot reasonably obtain an acceptable photo ID may sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and present a supporting document, such as a voter registration certificate or a utility bill. A voter who has an approved ID but did not bring it may vote a provisional ballot and must show the ID at the voter registrar’s office within six days.
- Mail ballots: Ballots mailed within the United States count if they are postmarked by 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 and arrive by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, according to the VoteTexas.gov FAQ. Voters may also hand-deliver a marked mail ballot to the early voting clerk’s office, with ID, while polls are open. Some overseas and military ballots may arrive as late as Monday, Nov. 9.
How results are reported
Most of Texas is in the Central time zone, so polls there close at 8 p.m. ET. A small far-western area, including El Paso, uses Mountain time, so its polls close at 9 p.m. ET. The AP lists both closing times for Texas. Larger counties may start counting early ballots before Election Day, but no results may be released until polls close, the state’s election law calendar says.
Most counties are expected to release all or almost all of their early and mail votes in the first update of the night, usually before any Election Day results, the AP reported. About 68% of ballots in the 2022 governor’s race were cast early or by mail. In the 2024 general election, the AP first reported Texas results at 8 p.m. ET, the count passed 50% at 8:29 p.m. ET, and it reached 90% at 12:17 a.m. ET.
The AP declares a winner only when there is no scenario in which a trailing candidate could close the gap. For the national picture, see our guide to when 2026 midterm results will be known.
Certification and recounts
The Secretary of State’s Nov. 3 election law calendar sets these post-election deadlines:
- Nov. 6: First day counties may hold their official local canvass, once provisional and late mail ballots have been processed.
- Nov. 17: Last day for the official local canvass.
- Nov. 19: Date set for the statewide risk-limiting audit.
- Nov. 21 to Dec. 7: Window for the governor to conduct the state canvass for statewide offices.
Recounts in Texas are automatic only in a tie, the AP reported. A candidate may request one if the margin is less than 10% of the winner’s vote total, and a certificate of election cannot be issued for a race under recount until the recount is complete, the state calendar notes.
LiveNewsWorld will report Texas returns as they are posted and will name the outlet behind any race call. No winner will be reported before one is declared by a named source.
Related live coverage
Follow every contested seat on our US Senate elections 2026 results page, find every guide in the US Midterm Elections 2026 hub, and get the latest Washington news on US Politics Live.
Sources
- Texas Secretary of State: Nov. 3, 2026 general election sample ballot, official results page, Election Law Calendar (Election Advisory No. 2026-21) and early voting totals
- VoteTexas.gov: Photo ID requirements and voter FAQ on Election Day hours and mail ballot deadlines
- The Associated Press: Texas election-night guide (Oct. 30, 2026) and primary coverage; The Texas Tribune (Oct. 31, 2026); CBS Texas (Oct. 31, 2026); KSAT and Decision Desk HQ runoff results (May 26, 2026)
- University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs: Texas Votes 2026 statewide survey, fielded Oct. 10 to 14, 2026. Sources last updated 9:45 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
