Important 2012 Election Dates (Revised by Federal Court Orders)
May (Limited Uniform) I May (Primary) | July (Primary Runoff) I November (Uniform)
Authority conducting elections |
Local political subdivisions other than counties (NEW LAW: County-ordered elections may not be held on this date. County Election Officials may but is not required to contract to provide election services to political subdivisions.) |
| First Day to File for Place on General Election Ballot (for cities and schools ONLY) (filing deadline for other political subdivisions may vary) 2 | February 4, 2012 (Even though the first day to file falls on a Saturday, this does not require the filing authority to hold weekend office hours to receive candidate applications.) |
|---|---|
| Last Day to File for Place on Ballot, if regular filing deadline 2 | March 5, 2012 (NEW LAW: 71st day before election day; falls on state holiday March 2, 2012; moves to Monday, which is next business day after statutory deadline)
March 16, 2012 (see note below relating to four-year terms) 2 |
| Last Day to Order General Election (or Special Election on a Measure) 2 | March 5, 2012 (NEW LAW: 71st day before election day; falls on state holiday March 2, 2012; moves to Monday, which is next business day after statutory deadline) |
| First Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail | March 13, 2012 |
| Last Day to Register to Vote | April 12, 2012 |
| First Day of Early Voting | April 30, 2012 |
| Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (Received, not Postmarked) |
May 4, 2012 (Friday, which is first preceding business day before statutory deadline) |
| Last Day of Early Voting | May 8, 2012 |
Federal Court Order of December 16, 2011 (PDF) |
|
| Authority conducting elections | Political Party County Chairs |
|---|---|
| First Day to File for Place on Ballot | First Day of “second time period”: March 2, 2012 (Mar. 1, 2012 court order) 1 |
| Last Day to File for Place on Ballot | Last Day of “second time period”: March 9, 2012, 6:00 p.m. (Mar. 1, 2012 court order, offices other than precinct chair) 1 |
| First Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (does not apply to FPCA) |
March 30, 2012 (Mar. 1, 2012 court order preserves certain previous filings) |
| Last Day to Register to Vote | April 30, 2012 (Monday, which is next business day after statutory deadline) |
| First Day of Early Voting | May 14, 2012 |
| Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (Received, not Postmarked) |
May 22, 2012 |
| Last Day of Early Voting | May 25, 2012 |
Federal Court Order of December 16, 2011 (PDF) |
|
| Authority conducting elections | Political Party County Chairs |
|---|---|
| First Day to File for Place on Ballot For Precinct Chair |
First Day of “second time period”: March 2, 2012 (Mar. 1, 2012 court order, offices other than precinct chair) 1 |
| Last Day to File for Place on Ballot For Precinct Chair |
Last Day of “second time period” for precinct chairs: June 1, 2012, 6:00 p.m. (Mar. 1, 2012 court order) 1 |
| First Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (does not apply to FPCA) |
June 1, 2012 (if did not request runoff ballot on application for primary ballot) |
| Last Day to Register to Vote | July 2, 2012 (Monday, which is next business day after statutory deadline) |
| First Day of Early Voting | July 23, 2012 |
| Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (Received, not Postmarked) |
July 24, 2012 (Received, not Postmarked) |
| Last Day of Early Voting | July 27, 2012 |
| Authority conducting elections | County Clerk/Elections Administrator/ Local political subdivisions |
|---|---|
| First Day to File for Place on General Election Ballot (for cities and schools ONLY) (filing deadline for other political subdivisions may vary) 2 | July 21, 2012 (Even though the first day to file falls on a Saturday, this does not require the filing authority to hold weekend office hours to receive candidate applications.) |
| Last Day to Order General Election (or Special Election on a Measure) 2 | August 20, 2012 (NEW LAW: 78th day before election day) |
| Last Day to File for Place on General Election Ballot (for local political subdivisions ONLY) 2 | August 20, 2012 (NEW LAW: 78th day before election day) |
| First Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (does not apply to FPCA) |
September 7, 2012 |
| Last Day to Register to Vote | October 9, 2012 (Tuesday, which is next business day after Columbus Day) |
| First Day of Early Voting | October 22, 2012 (Monday, which is next business day after statutory deadline) |
| Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (Received, not Postmarked) |
October 30, 2012 (Received, not Postmarked) |
| Last Day of Early Voting | November 2, 2012 |
1 First primary filing period: first day of “first filing period” was November 28, 2011 (Dec. 16, 2011 court order) and the last day was December 19, 2011 (Dec. 16, 2011 court order). This first filing period was not vacated. The March 1, 2012 court order preserves certain filings in between filing periods. See court order for details.
Filing period for precinct chair: first day of “first filing period” was September 13, 2011 (Dec. 16, 2011 court order) and the last day of the “first filing period” was December 19, 2011 (Dec. 16, 2011 court order). This filing period was not vacated. The March 1, 2012 court order preserves certain filings in between filing periods. See court order for details. The office of precinct chair was rescheduled by the March 1, 2012 court order to appear on the July 31, 2012 primary runoff ballot by plurality vote.
2 Generally, the filing deadline is the 71st day prior to Election Day (78th day prior to November General Election in even-numbered years); however, the Election Code may provide a different special election filing deadline. See Section 201.054 of the Texas Election Code.
Local political subdivisions, other than cities or school districts, might not have a "first day" to file. Write-in deadlines for general and special elections also vary; the deadline for most local (city, school, other) general elections is now the same day as the filing deadline for application for a place on the ballot; special election write-in rules vary, see long calendars for details.
If no candidate for a four-year term has filed an application for a place on the ballot for a city office, the filing deadline for that office is extended to 5 p.m. of the 57th day before the election. See Section 143.008 of the Texas Election Code.
