Hays County Democratic candidates, 2026

The winner is one of two senators who represent all 31 million Texans. In Washington, they vote on every federal law — Social Security, Medicare, what you pay for prescriptions and in taxes — and they alone confirm the Supreme Court justices.

Texas is divided into 38 areas called districts, each with about 800,000 people. Every two years your district elects one U.S. Representative — one of 435 in Washington, and the only one who answers to you. They vote on laws that touch your health care, your taxes and your rights.

Texas is divided into 38 areas called districts, each with about 800,000 people. Every two years your district elects one U.S. Representative — one of 435 in Washington, and the only one who answers to you. They vote on laws that touch your health care, your taxes and your rights.

The Governor can veto any bill that comes across his/her desk — one person is stopping the laws that your own representatives voted for on your behalf. The Governor also appoints the Secretary of State in charge of our elections and appoints the boards that oversee most state agencies. It's important our Governor stands for Texans, not just Texas businesses.

The Lieutenant Governor has enormous power and almost no name recognition. This office runs the Texas Senate — deciding which bills get a vote and which quietly die — and appoints every Senate committee chair, the gatekeepers who decide what reaches the floor at all.

The Attorney General is the state's lawyer — defending Texas laws in court and representing the state in lawsuits. The same office collects child support for Texas parents, which is the part of the job most families actually touch.

The Comptroller collects the state's taxes and then certifies how much the Legislature is allowed to spend. If the Comptroller says the money isn't there, the budget does not pass. The referee and the cashier in one office.

The Land Commissioner runs the Veterans Land Board, which helps Texas veterans buy homes and land. The office also manages the state land whose revenue helps pay for public schools.

Not just farms. The Agriculture Commissioner’s agency runs school lunch and breakfast for every Texas public school, licenses every exterminator in the state, inspects the eggs at your grocery store, and decides which farms can call themselves organic. Small-sounding job — it reaches everyone’s kitchen.

Despite the name, the Railroad Commission has had nothing to do with railroads since 2005. It regulates Texas oil and gas wells, the pipelines inside the state, your natural gas utility, and coal and uranium mining.

Your State Board of Education member — elected by district, not statewide — helps set what every Texas public school is required to teach. The board also approves a list of instructional materials, though districts may choose others.

There are only 31 State Senators for all of Texas, and every bill has to get past them. Who you elect as your State Senator can be the difference between a bill becoming a law that changes lives for the better — or being left to die. Yours represents Hays County and the counties around it, and once elected, sits for four years. It's a small club with a lot of quiet power, and this is one of the few times you get a say in who's in it.

Your State Representative is one of 150 people who write Texas law, and yours is elected to represent your area of Hays County. Every two years they decide how much money your kids' school gets, whether your property tax bill goes up or down, and whether Texas takes federal money for health care or turns it away. Big decisions, made by a small group — and one seat is yours to fill.

Your State Representative is one of 150 people who write Texas law, and yours is elected to represent your area of Hays County. Every two years they decide how much money your kids' school gets, whether your property tax bill goes up or down, and whether Texas takes federal money for health care or turns it away. Big decisions, made by a small group — and one seat is yours to fill.

The Chief Justice runs the Supreme Court of Texas — the last stop for the cases that make or break the lives of ordinary Texans: custody battles, insurance disputes, a lawsuit against a company with deep pockets to delay settlements. It also decides whether a Texas law is even allowed under the Texas Constitution. It's important to know that who we elect for this job is someone we trust with our final word.

There are nine Justices on the Texas Supreme Court, and unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices serve for life, we elect ours every six years. It's crucial that we elect Justices who will serve the citizens of our state, because the most important cases often come down to one Justice's deciding vote — whether a hospital can be sued, whether an insurance company is liable, who gets custody of our children. One seat can flip the outcome, and you help decide who sits in it.

There are nine Justices on the Texas Supreme Court, and unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices serve for life, we elect ours every six years. It's crucial that we elect Justices who will serve the citizens of our state, because the most important cases often come down to one Justice's deciding vote — whether a hospital can be sued, whether an insurance company is liable, who gets custody of our children. One seat can flip the outcome, and you help decide who sits in it.

There are nine Justices on the Texas Supreme Court, and unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices serve for life, we elect ours every six years. It's crucial that we elect Justices who will serve the citizens of our state, because the most important cases often come down to one Justice's deciding vote — whether a hospital can be sued, whether an insurance company is liable, who gets custody of our children. One seat can flip the outcome, and you help decide who sits in it.

This is the court that decides whether Texas got it right. When new evidence turns up years later — DNA, a witness who lied — a Judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals is who decides if the person walks free or stays in a cell. Your vote can help free the wrongly convicted while also protecting victims' families.

This is the court that decides whether Texas got it right. When new evidence turns up years later — DNA, a witness who lied — a Judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals is who decides if the person walks free or stays in a cell. Your vote can help free the wrongly convicted while also protecting victims' families.

This is the court that decides whether Texas got it right. When new evidence turns up years later — DNA, a witness who lied — a Judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals is who decides if the person walks free or stays in a cell. Your vote can help free the wrongly convicted while also protecting victims' families.

It's very difficult for a case to reach the Supreme Court. So for most Texans who appeal — a custody ruling, a lawsuit, a conviction — the Court of Appeals is the last court that will ever hear it. Texas has 14 of these courts, each covering a share of the 254 counties, and Hays County's cases go to the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin. The Chief Justice runs that court — and this year the seat is on your ballot.

The 15th Court of Appeals didn't exist two years ago. For decades, when Texans sued the State — over an abortion ban, a COVID order, an agency that overstepped — the appeal went to the Austin court, filled mostly with Democratic judges elected by the voters. Those judges frequently ruled against the State, so in 2023 the Republican Legislature created a brand-new statewide court specifically for lawsuits against the State — then used a rule that lets the Governor appoint all judges to any new court. Not one of Abbott's three judges has ever faced the voters for the seat. This November all three are on your ballot: the first and only chance to decide who hears the cases where Texans take on Texas.

The 15th Court of Appeals didn't exist two years ago. For decades, when Texans sued the State — over an abortion ban, a COVID order, an agency that overstepped — the appeal went to the Austin court, filled mostly with Democratic judges elected by the voters. Those judges frequently ruled against the State, so in 2023 the Republican Legislature created a brand-new statewide court specifically for lawsuits against the State — then used a rule that lets the Governor appoint all judges to any new court. Not one of Abbott's three judges has ever faced the voters for the seat. This November all three are on your ballot: the first and only chance to decide who hears the cases where Texans take on Texas.

The 15th Court of Appeals didn't exist two years ago. For decades, when Texans sued the State — over an abortion ban, a COVID order, an agency that overstepped — the appeal went to the Austin court, filled mostly with Democratic judges elected by the voters. Those judges frequently ruled against the State, so in 2023 the Republican Legislature created a brand-new statewide court specifically for lawsuits against the State — then used a rule that lets the Governor appoint all judges to any new court. Not one of Abbott's three judges has ever faced the voters for the seat. This November all three are on your ballot: the first and only chance to decide who hears the cases where Texans take on Texas.

The District Judge is the judge who signs the divorce, decides custody cases, and hands down the sentence in every felony case tried in Hays County — from burglary to murder. When people say "the judge," in the cases that change lives, this is usually who they mean — and that's who your vote is for.

The police make the arrest. The Criminal District Attorney decides what happens next — whether it becomes a charge, what the charge is, whether there's a plea deal, and in the worst cases whether to ask for the death penalty. This one office prosecutes crimes in Hays County, from theft to murder. Nobody in the county has more say over who goes to jail and who goes home.

Contrary to the name, the County Judge isn't a courtroom judge and doesn't have to be a lawyer — and often isn't. But the County Judge is THE most important job in Hays County, and would more accurately be called County Mayor. Leading the four County Commissioners, the County Judge helps manage our county's taxes and budget, our local roads and infrastructure, and the emergency response when disaster hits. All the county races matter, but the person you elect here is the one most likely to affect your daily life. So choose wisely.

The County Court at Law judge handles the everyday cases: a DWI or other misdemeanor charge, a parent's will and estate (probate), a guardianship for a family member who can no longer manage, mental-health commitments — and some custody hearings, to help the District Courts keep up. Not the high-profile cases, but the important cases that happen to all of us. Hays County has three of these courts; two are on the ballot this year, and your vote ensures our residents are represented fairly.

The County Court at Law judge handles the everyday cases: a DWI or other misdemeanor charge, a parent's will and estate (probate), a guardianship for a family member who can no longer manage, mental-health commitments — and some custody hearings, to help the District Courts keep up. Not the high-profile cases, but the important cases that happen to all of us. Hays County has three of these courts; two are on the ballot this year, and your vote ensures our residents are represented fairly.

The District Clerk keeps the official record of the county's biggest cases — every felony trial, divorce or custody order, and every big lawsuit. If you've been divorced in Hays County, your papers are in this office. And if you've ever gotten a jury summons in the mail, this is the office that sent it. We need to vote for a District Clerk who will modernize our systems and make our county records seamlessly available to all of us. Your vote can ensure we elect someone who serves the best interest of all of us.

The County Clerk keeps the paperwork that proves your life happened: property deeds, marriage licenses, birth and death records. If you have ever needed a certified copy of anything, this is the office.

The County Treasurer is the county's bank account. Every dollar Hays County takes in — your property taxes, fees, state money — is deposited by this office, and every county bill and every county paycheck goes out through it: deputies, road crews, clerks. Small office, all the money. A good Treasurer also brings the county's money into this century — online payments, direct deposit, safe investing of the funds sitting in the account — and your vote decides who's holding the checkbook.

There are four County Commissioners, one for each area of Hays County, and two are on the ballot every other election. Our four Commissioners and our County Judge are the ones who decide how our county spends our money. Your vote for County Commissioner can decide whether your roads get repaired, whether our groundwater and the Edwards Aquifer are protected, how the county gets ready for the next freeze or flood, and how much your county property taxes go up.

There are four County Commissioners, one for each area of Hays County, and two are on the ballot every other election. Our four Commissioners and our County Judge are the ones who decide how our county spends our money. Your vote for County Commissioner can decide whether your roads get repaired, whether our groundwater and the Edwards Aquifer are protected, how the county gets ready for the next freeze or flood, and how much your county property taxes go up.

The Justice of the Peace runs the court most people actually end up in: evictions, small claims up to $20,000, traffic tickets, and other small offenses. Your JP is chosen only by voters in your part of the county, and does not have to be a lawyer. In Hays County the JP is also who gets called when someone dies unexpectedly, to decide if there's an investigation. Whoever ends up in front of a JP is standing in front of someone your vote put there.

The Justice of the Peace runs the court most people actually end up in: evictions, small claims up to $20,000, traffic tickets, and other small offenses. Your JP is chosen only by voters in your part of the county, and does not have to be a lawyer. In Hays County the JP is also who gets called when someone dies unexpectedly, to decide if there's an investigation. Whoever ends up in front of a JP is standing in front of someone your vote put there.

The Justice of the Peace runs the court most people actually end up in: evictions, small claims up to $20,000, traffic tickets, and other small offenses. Your JP is chosen only by voters in your part of the county, and does not have to be a lawyer. In Hays County the JP is also who gets called when someone dies unexpectedly, to decide if there's an investigation. Whoever ends up in front of a JP is standing in front of someone your vote put there.

The Justice of the Peace runs the court most people actually end up in: evictions, small claims up to $20,000, traffic tickets, and other small offenses. Your JP is chosen only by voters in your part of the county, and does not have to be a lawyer. In Hays County the JP is also who gets called when someone dies unexpectedly, to decide if there's an investigation. Whoever ends up in front of a JP is standing in front of someone your vote put there.

The Justice of the Peace runs the court most people actually end up in: evictions, small claims up to $20,000, traffic tickets, and other small offenses. Your JP is chosen only by voters in your part of the county, and does not have to be a lawyer. In Hays County the JP is also who gets called when someone dies unexpectedly, to decide if there's an investigation. Whoever ends up in front of a JP is standing in front of someone your vote put there.