Voter Guide 2024 | What San Antonians should know for the March 5 primary election
From voter registration questions to explaining how to cast your vote, here's the latest information for what is a big election year for the U.S.
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Another presidential election year has arrived, and KENS 5 is here to make sure you're equipped with everything you need before heading to the polls.
In addition to voting on the parties' candidates for the Oval Office, San Antonio residents will cast their votes for one of Texas' two U.S. Senate seats, multiple U.S. House seats and several key Bexar County offices. Early voting for the primary election ran from Feb. 20 to March 1. Election Day is March 5.
When polls close on election day at 7 p.m., all results will be posted at KENS5.com/elections. We're here to make sure you have everything you need to be ready.
We're presenting this voter guide in chronological order of the process. The topics include:
- How to register to vote.
- Key dates for the election.
- How to cast your vote in the election.
- Learning about candidates.
- Tracking elections results.
How to register to vote
The deadline to register to vote for the March 5 primary in Texas has passed. If you don't know whether you're registered to vote, you can check here.
Key election dates
Here are the dates you'll need to know in order to navigate the election process in Texas:
- Monday, Feb. 5: Last day to register to vote in the primary.
- Tuesday, Feb. 20: Early voting opens in Bexar County
- Friday, Feb. 23: Last day to apply to vote by mail
- Friday, March 1: Early voting closes in Bexar County
- Tuesday, March 5: Election Day
How to cast your vote
Early voting
Early voting in Bexar County was open from Feb. 20 to March 1 at more than 40 locations, allowing community members the opportunity to cast their ballots ahead of the primary election day. Polling hours depend on the day:
- Tuesday, Feb. 20 to Friday, Feb. 23: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday, Feb. 24: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Sunday, Feb. 25: Noon to 6 p.m.
- Monday, Feb. 26 to Friday, March 1: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voters needed to bring one of the forms of ID listed in the section below. View a list of early voting locations in Bexar County.
On Election Day
The polls in Bexar County will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the election on Tuesday, March 5. Those who are in line when polls close will have a chance to fill out and cast their ballot.
A complete list of voting locations can be found here. A sample ballot for Democratic voters can be found here, and here for Republican voters.
Remember: Just because you're registered doesn't mean you won't need to be ready at the polls. Make sure to have at least one of the following types of ID:
- Texas driver's license
- Texas election ID certificate
- Personal Texas ID card
- Texas handgun license
- U.S. citizenship certificate with photo
- U.S. military ID
- U.S. passport (book or card)
For those who don't have and can't reasonably obtain one of those kinds of identification ahead of election day, click here to find out your options. Curbside voting is also available at most locations during the early voting period and on election day; just make sure to call your polling place ahead of time.
Mail-in voting
Texans are allowed to vote by mail but must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- If you're 65 years of age or older on election day.
- If you're sick or disabled (here that means having a sickness or physical condition preventing you from appearing at the polls on election day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or of injuring your health).
- If you're going to be out of the county on election day or during the early-voting period.
- If you're expected to give birth within three weeks before or after election day.
- If you're confined in jail, but are eligible to vote.
Those eligible must fill out this absentee-ballot application and submit it to the Bexar County Elections Office to be able to submit a mail-in ballot for the election. It must be complete and received by Feb. 23 in order for you to be able to vote in the March 5 primary.
Voter ID
You don't want to get to a polling location and not be ready. There are certain types of ID you need to show before you cast your ballot.
Here's a list that shows you all of the acceptable ID forms.
Is my voter registration information public?
Voter privacy rules vary by state. In Texas, if you are registered to vote, your name, address, precinct you live in and registration number is public record. But your birthday or social security number is kept confidential. The Texas secretary of state allows certain individuals to keep their information confidential, including law enforcement, judges and some crime victims.
What's on the ballot?
The race for the Oval Office headlines the primary ballots, with national polls so far pointing to a rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. In the Lone Star State, there are several contenders looking to snatch U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's seat, including U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and State Sen. Roland Gutierrez.
Zeroing in on the San Antonio area, March 5 voters will choose who to represent them in their respective parties for positions like Bexar County Sheriff, Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector and several county commissioner seats. Republican voters will also notice 13 yes-or-no ballot questions that state party leaders say are "opinion polls;" they won't result in any direct change.
Here's a sample of what voters will see on their ballot, depending on whether they're a registered Republican or Democrat.
President
- Ryan L. Binkley
- Nikki Haley
- Asa Hutchinson
- Chris Christie
- Donald J. Trump
- Vivek Ramaswamy
- David Stuckenberg
- Ron DeSantis
U.S. Senator
- Ted Cruz
- Holland "Redd" Gibson
- RE (Rufus) Lopez
Texas Railroad Commissioner
- Christie Clark
- Corey Howell
- Christi Craddick
- James "Jim" Matlock
- Petra Reyes
Bexar County Sheriff
- Nathan Buchanan
- Victor A. Mendoza
- Dennis Casillas
President
- Frankie Lozada
- Marianne Williamson
- Armando "Mando" Perez-Serrato
- Cenk Uygur
- Joseph R. Biden Jr.
- Gabriel A. Cornejo
- Dean Phillips
- Star Locke
U.S. Senator
- Thierry Tchenko
- A. "Robert" Hassan
- Mark Gonzalez
- Steven J. Keough
- Roland Gutierrez
- Carl Oscar Sherman
- Heli Rodriguez Prilliman
- Meri Gomez
- Colin Allred
Texas Railroad Commissioner
- Katherine Culbert
- Bill Burch
Bexar County Sheriff
- Sharon Rodriguez
- Javier Salazar
Tracking election results
KENS5.com will have live updates of all results in the Bexar County and Texas elections. All results will be posted at KENS5.com/elections.