Dallas County holds separate elections for Republicans, Democrats

DALLAS - Dallas County residents will notice some changes in the voting process for the March 3 primary election.

That’s because the Republican and Democratic parties are holding separate elections this year.

Dallas County Voting Changes

Dallas County will hold what’s called a non-joint primary on March 3 because the Dallas County Republican Party requested a separate election.

Early Voting

When voters go to one of the 74 early voting locations to cast their ballot, they will first be asked to declare a party. Election workers will either direct them to a line for the Republican machines or a line for the Democrats.

There may not be the same number of machines for each party at each location. The numbers will be based on turnout from previous elections. So, there could be fewer Democratic voting machines at some locations and few Republican machines at other locations.

Election Day

On election day, Dallas County residents will be required to vote in their home precinct at locations designated by their preferred political party. 

There will be 280 locations for the Democrats and 243 locations for the Republicans.

Married voters who have different party affiliations may be required to vote at separate locations, even though they live in the same household.

Voter Resources

• Early Voting: How to cast your ballot before March 3
• Dallas County early voting locations and hours
• 2026 Primary Election: Key races and what’s on the ballot in North Texas
• Who are the Republicans running for US Senate in Texas?
• Who are the Democrats running for US Senate in Texas?
• Who is running for statewide seats in the Texas primary? New poll reveals leaders
• Texas congressional districts have changed. Here's how to find your new one

What is a primary election?

Primaries are elections that political parties use to determine which candidates will represent that party. The winning candidate will then face off against the winning candidate from the other party in the November general election.

A candidate must have more than half of the votes to be declared the winner. If no candidates get a majority of the votes in a race, then the top two vote-getters will face each other in a run-off election on May 26.

Voters are not required to register with a party to vote in a primary election, but can only vote in one party's primary election. Voters will only be able to vote in that party's subsequent run-off election.

How do I know what primary to vote in?

Texas voters can choose which party's primary they want to vote in.

Texas is one of 15 states with completely open primaries, meaning that anyone who is registered to vote can vote in a specific party's primary without being a member of that party.

In contrast, only 10 states operate a closed primary where only members can vote in a party's primary.

The rest of the nation operates under rules that either allow independent voters to choose at the polls or allows the state to decide ahead of an election if they will allow unaffiliated voters or voters from another party to vote in their elections.

If a primary election goes to a runoff, only those who voted in that party's primary or who did not cast a vote at all in the primary can vote in the runoff election.