Polls opened at 7 a.m. this morning and will be closing tonight at 7 p.m (anyone in line at 7 p.m. can cast their vote) for the November 8 General Election. It is possible the statewide results will be solidified earlier in the evening while some local races may take longer before details can be reported. HillCo Partners will continue to monitor and provide you with the latest details as we continue our election coverage.
Texas Legislature
The makeup of the 85th Legislature has already begun to take shape.
We know the membership of the Texas Senate will include at least three freshmen. Two of those freshman were former House of Representative members. Sixteen of the state Senate’s 31 seats are on this year’s ballot, including three open seats and in three of the races incumbents are facing major-party challengers. Senate membership will also include 6 second-term senators and 8 third-term senators. The current partisan makeup of the Senate is 20 Republicans and 11 Democrats.
The membership of the Texas House will include at least 23* freshmen. Six incumbents were defeated in the primaries, 17 members did not seek re-election, and Rep. Dawnna Dukes plans to resign in January. House membership will also include 26* second-term members and 35* third-term members. The number of freshmen in the House could also increase based on the outcomes of the 46 races in which incumbents are facing major-party challengers. The current partisan makeup of the House is 99 Republicans, 50 Democrats and 1 Independent.
*Members who returned to the House after not serving for a session or more are not included in these numbers.
A complete list of candidates in the 2016 state wide races can be found on the Texas Tribune site.
Election Results Resources
Twitter at @TXElects
Texas Secretary of State
Politico Returns – Texas