Elections in Texas
From 1836 to 1845 Republic of Texas elected Presidents. In 1845, it was admitted as the state of Texas.
On March 4, 2008 Texas had Democratic and Republican primaries for President.
Texas gubernatorial elections are held every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November and do not coincide with the presidential elections.
Texas Senate elections are held every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November on the same date as gubernatorial elections.
Texas House elections are held every two years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
To reduce the amount of time required to fill electoral vacancies, in special elections Texas dispenses with party primaries and instead uses a jungle primary system. Candidates of all parties appear on the same ballot; if no single one of them receives 50-percent plus 1 vote, the two highest vote-getters advance to a runoff irrespective of party affiliation. Most famously, in Texas' special election of 1961 John Tower, a Republican, was able to win a United States Senate seat in then-overwhelmingly Democratic Texas.
