Election Day: What races are popular at Texas polls and when can you expect votes to be counted?

Democrats in Texas will once again be waiting for Election Day to find out if this is the year they can win a statewide race after three decades of defeats to Republicans.

Their hopes are pinned in the U.S. Senate, where Republican incumbent Ted Cruz faces a challenge from Republican Sen. Colin Allred, a former NFL linebacker and civil rights advocate who gave up a competitive U.S. House seat to take office in 2018.

With so many Democrats defending Senate seats across the country, Texas is one of the few states where a Republican senator is in a competitive race. Spending on the contest topped $100 million, eating into money spent on the Texas presidential election, according to AdImpact, which tracks advertising spending.

It’s been 30 years since Democrats won a statewide race in the Lone Star State, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. In 2002, Democrats were excited about the possibility of putting together a “dream team” of candidates for Senate, governor and lieutenant governor in hopes that a racially diverse ticket would attract a new generation of Texas voters who could flip the state. They didn’t do it.

More recently, in 2018, Democrat Beto O’Rourke broke fundraising records in his race against Cruz. He lost. Two years later, Democrats hoped that MJ Hegar would use O’Rourke’s momentum to defeat Sen. John Cornyn. She lost too.

No Democrat has won the Texas presidential election since Jimmy Carter in 1976, although Bill Clinton came close in three-way contests in both 1992 and 1996. Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris’s surprise victory in Texas almost spelled the end for the former Republican president Donald Trump is trying to return to the White House.

Texas has 38 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, but only three districts – all in South Texas – are considered competitive.

In the state’s 28th Congressional District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar is seeking re-election after being indicted on bribery and money laundering charges earlier this year. In the nearby 34th District, Democrat U.S. Vicente Gonzalez faced Republican Mayra Flores in a rematch of the 2022 contest, which Gonzalez won by about nine percentage points. In the Rio Grande Valley, Republican Monica De La Cruz will again face 2022 Democratic nominee Michelle Vallejo in the 15th District.

Here’s what to expect from the 2024 Texas elections:

Election day

November 5.

Survey closing time

8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. ET Texas spans two time zones, so most of the state will begin reporting results, while some voters in a few western counties will cast ballots until 9:00 p.m. ET.

The votes of the president’s electorate

40 were awarded to the statewide winner.

Key races and candidates

President: Harris (no) vs. Trump (right) vs. Chase Oliver (libertarian) vs. Jill Stein (green).

US Senate: Colin Allred (no) vs. Ted Cruz (R) and another.

Other interesting breeds

U.S. House of Representatives, State Senate, State House, State Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals, Railroad Commissioner, State Board of Education.

Results of the previous presidential elections

2020: Trump (R) 52%, Biden (D) 47%, AP call: Wednesday, November 4, 2020, 1:06 p.m. ET.

Voting before the elections

Votes cast before Election Day 2020: approximately 87% of total votes.

Votes cast before Election Day 2022: approximately 68% of total votes.

The Associated Press does not make predictions and will announce the winner only when it determines there is no scenario that would allow the remaining candidates to close the gap. If the race is not called, the AP will continue to report on any significant developments, such as candidates making concessions or declaring victory. This will allow the AP to clarify that it has not declared a winner and explain why.