Election Day is today and polls across Texas will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
In West Texas, a handful of competitive local races are on the ballot in the Midland-Odessa area, including the race for Odessa mayor, city council seats in both cities and multiple Midland ISD school board seats.
Most candidates for local races in the Big Bend region are running unopposed in single-party contests that were essentially decided earlier this year in primary and primary runoff elections. In Brewster County, Precinct 3 voters are deciding on four Marathon ISD school board races. In Jeff Davis County, three candidates are competing for two at-large seats on the Fort Davis ISD school board.
Perhaps the region’s highest-profile state legislative contest is the race for Texas House District 74. The sweeping borderland district stretches from the El Paso area through the Big Bend and on to Eagle Pass, one of the focal points of Gov. Greg Abbott’s controversial Operation Lone Star border security program.
In the closely watched Texas 23rd Congressional District race, Republican incumbent Tony Gonzales is seeking his third term against Democratic challenger Santos Limon. The district covers a huge swath of West Texas stretching from the San Antonio area through the Big Bend to El Paso.
Below is a rundown of some of the notable, competitive state and local races and propositions on the ballot in West Texas.
You can find information on voter registration, what to bring to the polls and how to find your polling location via the Texas Secretary of State's office website. You can also find polling location information at your local county's website. More details about voting are available in this guide from The Texas Tribune.
Notable state and local races are on the ballot in West Texas
This list does not include all competitive races, and does not include any races where candidates are running unopposed.
In the Permian Basin
| Race | Candidates (* indicates incumbent) |
| Odessa mayor | Cal Hendrick, Javier Joven* |
| Odessa City Council District 1 Seat | Eddie Mitchell, Mark Matta* |
| Odessa City Council District 2 Seat | Nayely Urias, Steven Thompson* |
| Odessa City Council At-Large Seat | Denise Swanner*, Craig Stoker |
| Midland City Council District 1 Seat | Brian Stubbs, Heather Bredimus |
| Midland City Council At-Large (2 Seats) | John Burkholder, Eric Davidson*, Robin Poole*, Rance C. Norton |
| Midland County Commissioner Precinct 3 | Luis Sanchez (D)*, Steven Villa (R) |
| Midland ISD Board Trustee 1 | Courtney Ratliff, Michael Booker*, Denise Norman |
| Midland ISD Board Trustee 2 | Angel Hernandez, Robert Marquez* |
| Midland ISD Board Trustee 4 | Matt Friez, Emily Smith |
| Midland ISD Board Trustee 7 | Joshua A. Guinn, Bryan Murray* |
| District Attorney, 143rd Judicial District (Ward, Reeves and Loving counties) | Randy Reynolds (D)*, Sarah Stogner (R) |
| Texas House District 82 (Midland, Dawson and Martin counties) | Tom Craddick (R)*, Steven Schafersman (D) |
In the Big Bend
| City of Alpine | Propositions A through I (link to proposition language available below) |
| Marathon ISD Board Trustee Place 2 | Phillip Moellering, Steve Griffis, Andy Lewis* |
| Marathon ISD Board Trustee Place 4 | Judy Briones*, LeAndra Ramirez |
| Marathon ISD Board Trustee Place 6 | Timothy Roberts, Gonzalo Hernandez |
| Marathon ISD Board Trustee Place 7 | Arlene Griffis, Craig Carter* |
| Fort Davis ISD Board Trustee At-Large (2 seats) | Tommy Everett*, Julia Hernandez*, Mack Holley |
| Texas House District 74 | Eddie Morales (D)*, Robert Garza (R) |
| U.S. House District 23 | Tony Gonzales (R)*, Santos Limon (D) |
Statewide races
| Texas Railroad Commissioner | Christi Craddick (R)*, Katherine Culbert (D), Hawk Dunlap (L), Eddie Espinoza (G) |
| U.S. Senator | Ted Cruz (R)*, Collin Allred (D), Ted Brown (L) |
Full sample ballots
- Midland County
- Ector County
- Presidio County
- Brewster County
- Marathon ISD school board elections included in Precinct 3 sample ballot
- Jeff Davis County
- City of Alpine charter amendments explanatory statements
