Vote centers in Lago Vista
Travis County uses vote centers: on Election Day any Travis County voter can vote at any open location in the county, not just one assigned precinct.
Lago Vista Public Library
Your Democratic ballot
These races are on the ballot for every Travis County voter.
U.S. SenateJames TalaricoTalarico has served in the Texas House since 2018 and is a rising star in Texas politics. His Christian faith is at the center of his politics — and so is his belief in the separation of church and state and his opposition to Christian Nationalism.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe winner is one of two senators who represent all 31 million Texans. In Washington, they vote on every federal law — Social Security, Medicare, what you pay for prescriptions and in taxes — and they alone confirm the Supreme Court justices.
U.S. House • District 10Caitlin RourkA soldier, an MBA, and a working mom — now running for one of the toughest, reddest seats in Central Texas.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersTexas is divided into 38 areas called districts, each with about 800,000 people. Every two years your district elects one U.S. Representative — one of 435 in Washington, and the only one who answers to you. They vote on laws that touch your health care, your taxes and your rights.
U.S. House • District 35Johnny GarciaA sheriff's deputy and former hostage negotiator running as a middle-of-the-road Democrat in this newly drawn district.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersTexas is divided into 38 areas called districts, each with about 800,000 people. Every two years your district elects one U.S. Representative — one of 435 in Washington, and the only one who answers to you. They vote on laws that touch your health care, your taxes and your rights.
U.S. House • District 37Greg CasarAn advocate for working Texans, he stood nine hours without food or water on the Capitol steps — protesting a Texas law that took away water breaks for construction workers.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersTexas is divided into 38 areas called districts, each with about 800,000 people. Every two years your district elects one U.S. Representative — one of 435 in Washington, and the only one who answers to you. They vote on laws that touch your health care, your taxes and your rights.
Governor of TexasGina HinojosaGina Hinojosa has spent her career holding corrupt politicians accountable. From a civil-rights attorney to a decade as Texas State Representative, she has led corporate reform, fighting billionaires and corporate interests while pushing the state to invest in our public schools, expand health care access, and lower costs for Texans.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe Governor can veto any bill that comes across his/her desk — one person is stopping the laws that your own representatives voted for on your behalf. The Governor also appoints the Secretary of State in charge of our elections and appoints the boards that oversee most state agencies. It's important our Governor stands for Texans, not just Texas businesses.
Lieutenant GovernorVikki GoodwinGoodwin sold houses in Austin for decades, then at 51 knocked on her first political door and beat a sitting Republican for a seat his party had held for years. Now she's running against Dan Patrick — the man who's run the Texas Senate for a decade — and most Texans still don't know her name. That's the whole race.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe Lieutenant Governor has enormous power and almost no name recognition. This office runs the Texas Senate — deciding which bills get a vote and which quietly die — and appoints every Senate committee chair, the gatekeepers who decide what reaches the floor at all.
Attorney GeneralNathan JohnsonJohnson is a physics major turned lawyer who flipped a Dallas Senate seat from a Tea Party Republican in 2018 — and now he's running for the office Ken Paxton ran for a decade.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe Attorney General is the state's lawyer — defending Texas laws in court and representing the state in lawsuits. The same office collects child support for Texas parents, which is the part of the job most families actually touch.
Comptroller of Public AccountsSarah EckhardtOn March 6, 2020, Eckhardt was the county judge who canceled South by Southwest — one of the first officials in America to shut something down for COVID — and then stayed on after resigning to run the emergency response. She's running for the office that certifies whether Texas can pay its bills.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe Comptroller collects the state's taxes and then certifies how much the Legislature is allowed to spend. If the Comptroller says the money isn't there, the budget does not pass. The referee and the cashier in one office.
Commissioner of General Land OfficeBenjamin FloresFlores came from Mexico City in 1996 and washed cars, fried chicken at KFC and fixed hotel computers until the computers turned into a 30-year career protecting banks and county governments from fraud. In June, mid-campaign, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Two weeks later he was in remission. He's still running.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe Land Commissioner runs the Veterans Land Board, which helps Texas veterans buy homes and land. The office also manages the state land whose revenue helps pay for public schools.
Commissioner of AgricultureClayton TuckerTucker is 28, runs his family's cattle-and-goat ranch outside Lampasas, and is running to be the first Democrat to hold this office since Jim Hightower left it in 1991 — Hightower's protégé, in Hightower's old job.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersNot just farms. The Agriculture Commissioner’s agency runs school lunch and breakfast for every Texas public school, licenses every exterminator in the state, inspects the eggs at your grocery store, and decides which farms can call themselves organic. Small-sounding job — it reaches everyone’s kitchen.
Railroad CommissionerJon RosenthalRosenthal spent 25 years as an engineer in the oil field — the industry the Railroad Commission is supposed to regulate — and in 2018 he unseated a 12-term Republican in northwest Houston while being outspent seven to one. His opponent was forced out as Tarrant County GOP chair over antisemitic posts.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersDespite the name, the Railroad Commission has had nothing to do with railroads since 2005. It regulates Texas oil and gas wells, the pipelines inside the state, your natural gas utility, and coal and uranium mining.
TX State Senate • District 21Judith ZaffiriniZaffirini has not missed a single vote in the Texas Senate since January 1987 — thirty-nine years, tens of thousands of votes, a record no one in America has matched — and she has passed more bills than any legislator in Texas history.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThere are only 31 State Senators for all of Texas, and every bill has to get past them. Who you elect as your State Senator can be the difference between a bill becoming a law that changes lives for the better — or being left to die. Yours represents your part of Travis County and the area around it, and once elected, sits for four years. It's a small club with a lot of quiet power, and this is one of the few times you get a say in who's in it.
TX State House • District 46Sheryl ColeAustin's former mayor pro tem — a CPA and lawyer now running unopposed for another term.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersYour State Representative is one of 150 people who write Texas law, and yours is elected to represent your area of Travis County. Every two years they decide how much money your kids' school gets, whether your property tax bill goes up or down, and whether Texas takes federal money for health care or turns it away. Big decisions, made by a small group — and one seat is yours to fill.
TX State House • District 47Pooja SethiShe ran the Travis County Democratic Party — now she's the nominee, after a 76% primary landslide.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersYour State Representative is one of 150 people who write Texas law, and yours is elected to represent your area of Travis County. Every two years they decide how much money your kids' school gets, whether your property tax bill goes up or down, and whether Texas takes federal money for health care or turns it away. Big decisions, made by a small group — and one seat is yours to fill.
TX State House • District 48Donna HowardA registered nurse who's spent nearly two decades as the Legislature's leading voice on women's health.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersYour State Representative is one of 150 people who write Texas law, and yours is elected to represent your area of Travis County. Every two years they decide how much money your kids' school gets, whether your property tax bill goes up or down, and whether Texas takes federal money for health care or turns it away. Big decisions, made by a small group — and one seat is yours to fill.
TX State House • District 49Montserrat GaribayA bilingual pre-K teacher who rose to the Biden White House — and is now running for the seat covering UT.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersYour State Representative is one of 150 people who write Texas law, and yours is elected to represent your area of Travis County. Every two years they decide how much money your kids' school gets, whether your property tax bill goes up or down, and whether Texas takes federal money for health care or turns it away. Big decisions, made by a small group — and one seat is yours to fill.
TX State House • District 50Samantha Lopez-ResendezA former school librarian and longtime Capitol staffer running on the public schools she once worked in.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersYour State Representative is one of 150 people who write Texas law, and yours is elected to represent your area of Travis County. Every two years they decide how much money your kids' school gets, whether your property tax bill goes up or down, and whether Texas takes federal money for health care or turns it away. Big decisions, made by a small group — and one seat is yours to fill.
TX State House • District 51Maria Luisa FloresAn East Austin Democrat whose top fights are lower property taxes and better-funded public schools.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersYour State Representative is one of 150 people who write Texas law, and yours is elected to represent your area of Travis County. Every two years they decide how much money your kids' school gets, whether your property tax bill goes up or down, and whether Texas takes federal money for health care or turns it away. Big decisions, made by a small group — and one seat is yours to fill.
TX Supreme Court • Chief JusticeMaggie EllisEllis was homeless as a child, the only one of eight kids to finish college — it took her 16 years — and she got through Baylor Law raising four teenagers, commuting from Austin to Waco every day. Now she's running to be the first woman ever to lead the Supreme Court of Texas.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe Chief Justice runs the Supreme Court of Texas — the last stop for the cases that make or break the lives of ordinary Texans: custody battles, insurance disputes, a lawsuit against a company with deep pockets to delay settlements. It also decides whether a Texas law is even allowed under the Texas Constitution. It's important to know that who we elect for this job is someone we trust with our final word.
TX Supreme Court • Place 2Chari KellyKelly jumped out of Army airplanes as a paratrooper and defended soldiers accused of capital crimes as a JAG captain. Then she came home and made drug companies pay back millions they'd stolen from Texas Medicaid. In 2018 she unseated a sitting Republican appeals judge — the first Democrat to win that court in a decade.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThere are nine Justices on the Texas Supreme Court, and unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices serve for life, we elect ours every six years. It's crucial that we elect Justices who will serve the citizens of our state, because the most important cases often come down to one Justice's deciding vote — whether a hospital can be sued, whether an insurance company is liable, who gets custody of our children. One seat can flip the outcome, and you help decide who sits in it.
TX Supreme Court • Place 7Kristen HawkinsRead the ballot carefully: this race is Kristen Hawkins against Kyle Hawkins. She's the Houston trial judge — the daughter of an immigrant mother, who worked her way through law school; he's the Abbott appointee who's been on the court since October and has never faced a voter. Texas lawyers, polled, picked her.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThere are nine Justices on the Texas Supreme Court, and unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices serve for life, we elect ours every six years. It's crucial that we elect Justices who will serve the citizens of our state, because the most important cases often come down to one Justice's deciding vote — whether a hospital can be sued, whether an insurance company is liable, who gets custody of our children. One seat can flip the outcome, and you help decide who sits in it.
TX Supreme Court • Place 8Gisela TrianaTriana has been a judge at every level Texas has — city court, justice of the peace, county court, 14 years running a district court, and now the appeals bench — and when Texas lawyers were polled on this race, they picked her over the sitting Republican justice. A mother of five, she started out prosecuting domestic-violence cases.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThere are nine Justices on the Texas Supreme Court, and unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices serve for life, we elect ours every six years. It's crucial that we elect Justices who will serve the citizens of our state, because the most important cases often come down to one Justice's deciding vote — whether a hospital can be sued, whether an insurance company is liable, who gets custody of our children. One seat can flip the outcome, and you help decide who sits in it.
Court of Criminal Appeals • Place 3Okey AnyiamNearly 30 years as a criminal defense lawyer — and he says the state's top criminal court is too slow to decide anyone's appeal.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThis is the court that decides whether Texas got it right. When new evidence turns up years later — DNA, a witness who lied — a Judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals is who decides if the person walks free or stays in a cell. Your vote can help free the wrongly convicted while also protecting victims' families.
Court of Criminal Appeals • Place 4Audra RileyIn the State Bar's 2026 poll of Texas lawyers, Riley was the majority choice — beating the incumbent she's running against by 12 points.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThis is the court that decides whether Texas got it right. When new evidence turns up years later — DNA, a witness who lied — a Judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals is who decides if the person walks free or stays in a cell. Your vote can help free the wrongly convicted while also protecting victims' families.
Court of Criminal Appeals • Place 9Holly TaylorTaylor's job has been to find the people Texas locked up for crimes they didn't commit and get them out — she ran post-conviction work with Travis County's Conviction Integrity Unit. Before that she wrote the rules for the Court of Criminal Appeals itself, as its staff attorney. Now she wants a seat on it.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThis is the court that decides whether Texas got it right. When new evidence turns up years later — DNA, a witness who lied — a Judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals is who decides if the person walks free or stays in a cell. Your vote can help free the wrongly convicted while also protecting victims' families.
3rd Court of Appeals • Chief JusticeDarlene ByrneFor 17 years Byrne personally handled every foster-care case in Travis County — every child, every hearing — and built a court that the rest of the country came to study. Now she runs the appeals court that hears Travis County's cases, and she wants to keep running it.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersIt's very difficult for a case to reach the Supreme Court. So for most Texans who appeal — a custody ruling, a lawsuit, a conviction — the Court of Appeals is the last court that will ever hear it. Texas has 14 of these courts, each covering a share of the 254 counties, and Travis County's cases go to the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin. The Chief Justice runs that court — and this year the seat is on your ballot.
15th Court of Appeals • Chief JusticeJerry ZimmererZimmerer worked twelve years at AT&T before he ever practiced law, spent six years as a Houston appeals judge — and now he's running to lead the brand-new court Republicans built to take the state's cases away from the judges voters elected in Austin.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe 15th Court of Appeals didn't exist two years ago. For decades, when Texans sued the State — over an abortion ban, a COVID order, an agency that overstepped — the appeal went to the Austin court, filled mostly with Democratic judges elected by the voters. Those judges frequently ruled against the State, so in 2023 the Republican Legislature created a brand-new statewide court specifically for lawsuits against the State — then used a rule that lets the Governor appoint all judges to any new court. Not one of Abbott's three judges has ever faced the voters for the seat. This November all three are on your ballot: the first and only chance to decide who hears the cases where Texans take on Texas.
15th Court of Appeals • Place 2Tom BakerIn 2018 Baker flipped a seat on the Austin appeals court from Republican to Democrat. Then the Legislature built a brand-new court to move the state's biggest cases out of his reach. Now he's running for that new court.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe 15th Court of Appeals didn't exist two years ago. For decades, when Texans sued the State — over an abortion ban, a COVID order, an agency that overstepped — the appeal went to the Austin court, filled mostly with Democratic judges elected by the voters. Those judges frequently ruled against the State, so in 2023 the Republican Legislature created a brand-new statewide court specifically for lawsuits against the State — then used a rule that lets the Governor appoint all judges to any new court. Not one of Abbott's three judges has ever faced the voters for the seat. This November all three are on your ballot: the first and only chance to decide who hears the cases where Texans take on Texas.
15th Court of Appeals • Place 3Marc MeyerMeyer spent 25 years as a Houston firefighter and a registered nurse before he ever went to law school — and he's running against one of the three unelected judges Abbott installed on the new court.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe 15th Court of Appeals didn't exist two years ago. For decades, when Texans sued the State — over an abortion ban, a COVID order, an agency that overstepped — the appeal went to the Austin court, filled mostly with Democratic judges elected by the voters. Those judges frequently ruled against the State, so in 2023 the Republican Legislature created a brand-new statewide court specifically for lawsuits against the State — then used a rule that lets the Governor appoint all judges to any new court. Not one of Abbott's three judges has ever faced the voters for the seat. This November all three are on your ballot: the first and only chance to decide who hears the cases where Texans take on Texas.
Travis County District Court • 147thCliff BrownThe 147th District Court's judge since 2010, running unopposed for another term.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe District Judge is the judge who signs the divorce, decides custody cases, and hands down the sentence in every felony case tried in Travis County — from burglary to murder. When people say "the judge," in the cases that change lives, this is usually who they mean — and that's who your vote is for.
Travis County District Court • 201stAmy Clark MeachumA veteran Travis County trial judge who has run statewide for the Texas Supreme Court.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe District Judge is the judge who signs the divorce, decides custody cases, and hands down the sentence in every felony case tried in Travis County — from burglary to murder. When people say "the judge," in the cases that change lives, this is usually who they mean — and that's who your vote is for.
Travis County District Court • 250thKennon WootenRunning unopposed to preside over major civil and felony trials in Travis County.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe District Judge is the judge who signs the divorce, decides custody cases, and hands down the sentence in every felony case tried in Travis County — from burglary to murder. When people say "the judge," in the cases that change lives, this is usually who they mean — and that's who your vote is for.
Travis County District Court • 261stDaniella Deseta LyttleRunning to preside over major civil and felony trials in Travis County.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe District Judge is the judge who signs the divorce, decides custody cases, and hands down the sentence in every felony case tried in Travis County — from burglary to murder. When people say "the judge," in the cases that change lives, this is usually who they mean — and that's who your vote is for.
Travis County District Court • 299thKaren SageA trial judge on the bench for Travis County's most serious cases.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe District Judge is the judge who signs the divorce, decides custody cases, and hands down the sentence in every felony case tried in Travis County — from burglary to murder. When people say "the judge," in the cases that change lives, this is usually who they mean — and that's who your vote is for.
Travis County District Court • 331stChantal EldridgeSeeking the bench for the county's felony and major civil docket.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe District Judge is the judge who signs the divorce, decides custody cases, and hands down the sentence in every felony case tried in Travis County — from burglary to murder. When people say "the judge," in the cases that change lives, this is usually who they mean — and that's who your vote is for.
Travis County District Court • 403rdBrandy MuellerA judge for Travis County's serious criminal and civil trials.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe District Judge is the judge who signs the divorce, decides custody cases, and hands down the sentence in every felony case tried in Travis County — from burglary to murder. When people say "the judge," in the cases that change lives, this is usually who they mean — and that's who your vote is for.
Travis County District Court • 419thCatherine MauzyOn the bench for the county's high-stakes civil and criminal cases.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe District Judge is the judge who signs the divorce, decides custody cases, and hands down the sentence in every felony case tried in Travis County — from burglary to murder. When people say "the judge," in the cases that change lives, this is usually who they mean — and that's who your vote is for.
Travis County District Court • 455thLaurie EiserlohRunning to preside over serious trials in Travis County.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe District Judge is the judge who signs the divorce, decides custody cases, and hands down the sentence in every felony case tried in Travis County — from burglary to murder. When people say "the judge," in the cases that change lives, this is usually who they mean — and that's who your vote is for.
Travis County District Court • 459thMaya Guerra GambleA Travis County trial judge for major civil and criminal cases.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe District Judge is the judge who signs the divorce, decides custody cases, and hands down the sentence in every felony case tried in Travis County — from burglary to murder. When people say "the judge," in the cases that change lives, this is usually who they mean — and that's who your vote is for.
Travis County JudgeAndy BrownHe helped build Austin's Sobering Center and ran the county Democratic Party before taking the county's top job.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersContrary to the name, the County Judge isn't a courtroom judge and doesn't have to be a lawyer — and often isn't. But the County Judge is THE most important job in Travis County, and would more accurately be called County Mayor. Leading the four County Commissioners, the County Judge helps manage our county's taxes and budget, our local roads and infrastructure, and the emergency response when disaster hits. All the county races matter, but the person you elect here is the one most likely to affect your daily life. So choose wisely.
Travis County Court at Law No. 1Todd WongA county judge handling the everyday cases most Texans actually encounter.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe County Court at Law judge handles the everyday cases: a DWI or other misdemeanor charge, and the civil disputes that are too big for a JP. Not the high-profile cases, but the important cases that happen to all of us. Travis County has several of these courts, seven are on the ballot this year, and your vote ensures our residents are represented fairly.
Travis County Court at Law No. 2Leslie DippelOn the bench for the county's misdemeanor and civil cases.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe County Court at Law judge handles the everyday cases: a DWI or other misdemeanor charge, and the civil disputes that are too big for a JP. Not the high-profile cases, but the important cases that happen to all of us. Travis County has several of these courts, seven are on the ballot this year, and your vote ensures our residents are represented fairly.
Travis County Court at Law No. 3Bianca GarciaA judge for the cases that touch ordinary lives — from traffic to small civil suits.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe County Court at Law judge handles the everyday cases: a DWI or other misdemeanor charge, and the civil disputes that are too big for a JP. Not the high-profile cases, but the important cases that happen to all of us. Travis County has several of these courts, seven are on the ballot this year, and your vote ensures our residents are represented fairly.
Travis County Court at Law No. 4Dimple MalhotraA county-court judge focused on the cases closest to everyday people.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe County Court at Law judge handles the everyday cases: a DWI or other misdemeanor charge, and the civil disputes that are too big for a JP. Not the high-profile cases, but the important cases that happen to all of us. Travis County has several of these courts, seven are on the ballot this year, and your vote ensures our residents are represented fairly.
Travis County Court at Law No. 5Mary Ann EspirituRunning for one of the county benches that hears Travis County's day-to-day cases.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe County Court at Law judge handles the everyday cases: a DWI or other misdemeanor charge, and the civil disputes that are too big for a JP. Not the high-profile cases, but the important cases that happen to all of us. Travis County has several of these courts, seven are on the ballot this year, and your vote ensures our residents are represented fairly.
Travis County Court at Law No. 6Denise HernándezA judge for the county's misdemeanor and civil docket.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe County Court at Law judge handles the everyday cases: a DWI or other misdemeanor charge, and the civil disputes that are too big for a JP. Not the high-profile cases, but the important cases that happen to all of us. Travis County has several of these courts, seven are on the ballot this year, and your vote ensures our residents are represented fairly.
Travis County Court at Law No. 7Elisabeth A. EarleOn the bench for everyday county justice.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe County Court at Law judge handles the everyday cases: a DWI or other misdemeanor charge, and the civil disputes that are too big for a JP. Not the high-profile cases, but the important cases that happen to all of us. Travis County has several of these courts, seven are on the ballot this year, and your vote ensures our residents are represented fairly.
Travis County Probate Court No. 1Guy HermanTravis County's probate judge since 1985 — four decades handling wills, guardianships, and mental-health cases.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe Probate Court handles what happens when someone dies or can no longer manage on their own: wills and estates, guardianships for an aging parent or an adult with disabilities, and mental-health commitments. In Travis County these cases go to one court, and the judge you elect decides them — often for families on the hardest day of their lives.
Travis County District ClerkVelva PriceThe keeper of the county's court records, seeking another term.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe District Clerk keeps the official record of the county's biggest cases — every felony trial, divorce or custody order, and every big lawsuit. If you've been divorced in Travis County, your papers are in this office. And if you've ever gotten a jury summons in the mail, this is the office that sent it. We need to vote for a District Clerk who will modernize our systems and make our county records seamlessly available to all of us. Your vote can ensure we elect someone who serves the best interest of all of us.
Travis County ClerkDyana Limon-MercadoRunning to oversee the county's records, elections paperwork, and vital documents.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe County Clerk keeps the paperwork that proves your life happened: property deeds, marriage licenses, birth and death records. If you have ever needed a certified copy of anything, this is the office.
Travis County TreasurerDolores Ortega CarterThe county's money manager — safeguarding how Travis County banks and invests.
Why this race matters
Why this race mattersThe County Treasurer is the county's bank account. Every dollar Travis County takes in — your property taxes, fees, state money — is deposited by this office, and every county bill and every county paycheck goes out through it: deputies, road crews, clerks. Small office, all the money. A good Treasurer also brings the county's money into this century — online payments, direct deposit, safe investing of the funds sitting in the account — and your vote decides who's holding the checkbook.
Justice of the Peace and County Commissioner races depend on your precinct, which depends on your address — the guide works that out for you.
Other cities
Travis County uses vote centers — any registered Travis County voter can vote at any open location in the county. Locations and hours by city: