Here’s what is on the Smith County ballot for Republican, Democratic March 2026 primaries

Published 5:05 am Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Today is Election Day in the 2026 Republican and Democratic primaries.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Smith County. 

Voters will determine which candidates of each party will go on to face each other in the general election on Nov. 3. Some are unopposed and others also don’t face any opposition from the other party, meaning many races will be decided during the primaries. Others, like the governor’s race, will be decided in November as voters choose between the two primary winners.

Registered voters will be voting for federal, state and local candidates in either the Democratic or Republican Party. A voter has to choose which party’s primary they will be voting in and cannot vote in the other. By voting in that primary, an individual will be considered “affiliated” with that party for the rest of the 2026 calendar year, even if not officially registered with that party.

If a race in a voter’s chosen primary goes to a runoff, which would be held May 26, an individual can only vote in the runoff for that same party and cannot switch to the other party’s runoff. On Nov. 3, individuals will vote for a candidate, no matter the party.

Smith County races

In Smith County, voters are deciding who they want to see represent them on the commissioners court and other areas in the county, such as justice of the peace positions. Since none face opposition from the opposing party, these races will be decided in the primary, except in the event the one three-opponent race goes to a runoff. 

In the Republican Primary, voters will consider if they want to see incumbent district clerk Penny Clarkston continue in her role or welcome a newcomer, Gaye Boynton. Smith County residents will also decide between Austin Luce or Catherine Roots to represent them as their next Precinct 2 commissioner. For Justice of the Peace, incumbent Andy Dunklin is seeking another term for Precinct 2 and is being challenged by Shawn Scott. For Precinct 3, Justice of the Peace candidates include Rod Langlinais, Tim McDonald and Kyle Stowers. Incumbent JP for Precinct 4 Curtis Wulf faces opponent Sam Griffith. There are also multiple contested precinct chair races.

In the Democratic Primary, Smith County voters will decide if they want to see incumbent Justice of the Peace Derrick Choice serve another term for Precinct 1 or welcome a new face in Dalila Reynoso. Democrat voters will also decide to keep incumbent Cam Ray for another term representing the Smith County Democratic Party as chair or usher in newcomer Kristen Hardin-Sigler. A contested precinct chair race is also on the ballot. 

Who can vote and what to bring

An individual can vote if they are a U.S. citizen, a resident of the country where they registered to vote, 18 years of age or older on Election Day, not a convicted felon, unless they have completed their terms of sentencing and have not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.

Voters must bring one of the following forms of identification: Texas Driver License, U.S. Citizenship Certificate with Photo, U.S. Military ID Card, U.S. Passport, Texas Personal ID Card, Texas Handgun License or Texas Election ID Certificate.

Election Day polling locations and times

Multiple vote centers, featuring a few new ones this year, will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3 for Election Day, including:

Arp

Arp Community Center: 108 E. Longview St., Arp

Bullard

Greater Life Church: 2751 FM 344 E., Bullard

Flint

Flint Baptist Church: 11131 FM 2868 W, Flint

Hideaway

Hideaway Members Svcs Building: 101 Hide-A-Way Ln, Hideaway

Troup

Cameron J Jarvis Library: 102 S Georgia St., Troup

Lindale

Garden Valley Baptist Church: 17816 CR 442, Lindale

Lindale Kinzie Community Center: 912 Mt. Sylvan St., Lindale

Rose Heights Church – Lindale: 12465 FM 16, Lindale

Winona

Starrville Church of the Living God: 18396 Hwy 271, Winona

Winona Community Center: 520 Dallas St., Winona

Whitehouse

Hill Creek Baptist Church: 14749 Hwy 110 S, Whitehouse

Whitehouse City Center: 109 E. Main Street, Whitehouse

Tyler

Bell Elementary School: 1409 E. Hankerson St., Tyler

Bethel Bible Church: 17121 Hwy 69 S., Tyler

Cornerstone Church: 9107 Paluxy Dr., Tyler

Chapel Hill Fire Department: 13801 CR 220, Tyler

Clarkston Elementary School: 2915 Williamsburg Dr., Tyler

Cross Brand Cowboy Church: 11915 FM 2015, Tyler

First Christian Church: Christian Life Center Gym: 4202 S Broadway Ave, Tyler

Glass Recreation Center: 501 W 32nd St., Tyler

Heritage Building: 1900 Bellwood Rd., Tyler

Main Location The HUB: 304 E Ferguson St., Tyler

Jones-Boshears Elementary School: 3450 Chandler Hwy, Tyler

Lanes Chapel Methodist Church: Family Center: 8720 Old Jacksonville Hwy, Tyler

New Harmony Baptist Church: 10251 FM 724, Tyler

Noonday Community Center: 16662 CR 196, Tyler

Old Tyler Airport: 150 Airport Dr., Tyler

Shiloh Road Church of Christ: 1801 Shiloh Rd., Tyler

St. Louis Baptist Church: 4000 Frankston Hwy., Tyler

St. Violet Baptist Church: 14129 FM 2767, Tyler

Three Lakes Middle School: 2445 Three Lakes Pkwy., Tyler

Tyler Junior College-West Campus: 1530 SSW Loop 323, Tyler

Tyler Senior Center: 1915 Garden Valley Rd., Tyler

Contested races

There are local contested races in the Smith County Republican Primary and in the Democratic Primary. There are also contested federal and state races along with propositions for each party. To view full sample ballots which include races without an opponent, visit www.smith-county.com/396/Current-Sample-Ballots .

2026 Republican Primary contested races 

Federal

U.S. senator

Gulrez “Gus” Khan

John O. Adefope

John Cornyn

Anna Bender

Virgil John Bierschwale

Wesley Hunt

Sara Canady

Ken Paxton

State

Governor

Pete “Doc” Chambers

Charles Andrew Crouch

R.F. “Bob” Achgill

Ronnie Tullos

Arturo Espinosa

Evelyn Brooks

Kennethy Hyde

Stephen Samuelson

Mark V. Goloby

Greg Abbott

Nathaniel Welch

Lieutenant governor

Timothy Mabry

Dan Patrick

Perla Munoz Hopkins

Esala Wueschner

Attorney general

Joan Huffman

Aaron Reitz

Mayes Middleton

Chip Roy

Comptroller of public accounts

Don Huffines

Kelly Hancock

Michael Berlanga

Christi Craddick

Commissioner of the General Land Office

Dawn Buckingham

Commissioner of agriculture

Sid Miller

Nate Sheets

Railroad commissioner

Bo French

Katherine Culbert

Jim Wright

James (Jim) Matlock

Hawk Dunlap

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3

Lesli Fitzpatrick

Alison Fox

Brent Coffee

Thomas Smith

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 9

Jennifer Balido

John Messinger

Member, State Board of Education, District 9

Stephen Yearout

Kason Huddleston

Rachel Hogue

Smith County

District Clerk 

Gaye Boynton

Penny Clarkson (Incumbent)

County Commissioner Precinct 2 

Austin Luce

Catherine Roots

Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 

Andy Dunklin (Incumbent)

Shawn Scott

Justice of the Peace Precinct 3

Rod Langlinais

Tim McDonald

Kyle S. Stowers

Justice of the Peace Precinct 4

Sam Griffith

Curtis Wulf (Incumbent)

Precinct Chair for Election Precinct 115

Matthew Milam

Logan Underwood

Precinct Chair for Election Precinct 142

Jesse Constante

Charles Turner (Incumbent)

Precinct Chair for Election Precinct 209

Beth Counts

Marcia Garrett

Precinct Chair for Election Precinct 218

Izzy Gentry

Rick Vaughan

Precinct Chair for Election Precinct 224

Sharon Emmert

Eric A. Spaude

Precinct Chair for Election Precinct 330

Laurel Maynard (Incumbent)

Roger P. Puetz

Republican Party propositions

Republican Party voters will cast ballots on propositions that guide their party. These propositions do not become state law.

Proposition 1: Texas property taxes should be assessed at the purchase price and phased out entirely over the next six years through spending reductions.

Yes

No

Proposition 2: Texas should require any local government budget that raises property taxes to be approved by voters at a November general election.

Yes

No

Proposition 3: Texas should prohibit denial of healthcare or any medical service based solely on the patient’s vaccination status.

Yes

No

Proposition 4: Texas should require its public schools to teach that life begins at fertilization.

Yes

No

Proposition 5: Texas should ban gender, sexuality, and reproductive clinics and services in K-12 schools.

Yes

No

Proposition 6: Texas should enact term limits on all elected officials.

Yes

No

Proposition 7: Texas should ban the large-scale export or sale of our groundwater and surface water to any single private or public entity.

Yes

No

Proposition 8: The Texas Legislature should reduce the burden of illegal immigration on taxpayers by ending public services for illegal aliens.

Yes

No

Proposition 9: The Republican-controlled Texas Legislature should stop awarding leadership positions, including committee and subcommittee chairmanships and vice chairmanships, to Democrats.

Yes

No

Proposition 10: Texas should prohibit Sharia Law.

Yes

No

2026 Democratic Primary contested races

Federal

U.S. senator

James Talarico

Ahmid R. Hassan

Jasmine Crockett

U.S. representative, District 1

Masika Akilah Ray

Tracy Andrus

Yolanda R. Prince

Dax Alexander

State

Governor

Andrew White

Bobby Cole

Angela “Tiaangie” Villescaz

Patricia Abrego

Zach Vance

Chris Bell

Carlton W. Hart

Jose Navarro Balbuena

Gina Hinojosa

Lieutenant governor

Courtney Head

Marcos Isaias Velez

Vikki Goodwin

Attorney general

Nathan Johnson

Joe Jaworski

Anthony “Tony” Box

Comptroller of public accounts

Savant Moore

Sarah Eckhardt

Michael Lange

Commissioner of the General Land Office

Jose Loya

Benjamin Flores

Chief Justice, Supreme Court

Cory L. Carlyle

Maggie Ellis

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 7

Kristen Hawkins

Gordon Goodman

Smith County

Justice of Peace Precinct 1

Derrick Choice (Incumbent)

Dalila Reynoso

County Chair

Kristen Hardin-Sigler

Cam Ray (Incumbent)

Precinct Chair for Election Precinct 209

Joan Bruckwicki

Kenith Freeman

Democratic Party propositions

Democratic Party voters will cast ballots on propositions that guide their party. These propositions do not become state law. The questions on the ballot are labeled “Survey.”

Proposition No. 1: Texas should expand Medicaid and ensure access to affordable healthcare for all.

Yes

No

Proposition No. 2: Texans should support humane and dignified immigration policies and pathways to citizenship.

Yes

No

Proposition No. 3: Texans should have the right to make their own healthcare decisions, including reproductive rights.

Yes

No

Proposition No. 4: Texas should address the state’s housing crisis in affordability and access in both urban and rural communities.

Yes

No

Proposition No. 5: Texas should fund all public schools at the same per-pupil rate as the national average.

Yes

No

Proposition No. 6: Secure online voter registration should be accessible to all eligible Texas residents.

Yes

No

Proposition No. 7: Texas should have a clean and healthy environment that includes water, air, and biodiversity. Texas must preserve the state’s natural, cultural, scenic, and recreational resources.

Yes

No

Proposition No. 8: Texas should legalize cannabis for adults and automatically expunge criminal records for past low-level cannabis offenses.

Yes

No

Proposition No. 9: Texas should raise salaries to at least the national average and should provide a cost-of-living increase based on the national Consumer Price Index every two years to current/retired school and state employees.

Yes

No

Proposition No. 10: Texas should ban racially motivated redistricting, ban mid-decade redistricting, and create a non-partisan redistricting board to redraw lines every 10 years.

Yes

No

Proposition No. 11: The Working Class should be eligible for greater federal income tax relief and have their tax burden fairly shifted onto the wealthiest.

Yes

No

Proposition No. 12: Texas should expand accessible public transportation opportunities in rural and urban communities so residents can get to their workplaces, schools, and healthcare.

Yes

No

Proposition No. 13: Texas should prevent individuals with a history of abuse from purchasing firearms by implementing “red flag” laws.

Yes

No

For more information on the Smith County elections visit, https://www.smith-county.com/233/Current-Election-Information. For more information on the 2026 election dates visit, https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/important-election-dates.shtml#2026.

For a full list of all Smith County candidates visit, https://tylerpaper.com/2025/12/15/list-republican-democratic-primary-candidates-in-smith-county-solidify-spots-on-2026-election-ballot/. For a full voter’s guide visit, https://tylerpaper.com/2026/01/21/smith-county-upcoming-election-deadlines-and-requirements/.

Catherine Roots and Austin Luce running for Precinct 2 Commissioner

Penny Clarkston and Gaye Boynton running for Smith County District Clerk

Derrick Choice and Dalila Reynoso running for Smith County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1

Andy Dunklin and Shawn Scott running for Smith County Justice of the Peace Precinct 2

Kyle Stowers, Tim McDonald and Rod Langlinais running for Smith County Justice of the Peace Precinct 3

Curtis Wulf and Sam Griffith running for Smith County Justice of the Peace for Precinct 4

Cam Ray and Kristen Hardin-Sigler running for Democratic County Chair