Filing in the 2026 Republican or Democratic Primary Election

Candidates seeking the nomination of the Democratic or Republican Party must file (1) a candidate application, and (2) a filing fee or petition in lieu of filing fee.

Note:The application along with the filing fee or petition in lieu of filling fee must be filed at the same time with the proper filing authority.

Filing Period

The application must be filed between November 8, 2025 and 6:00 p.m. on Monday, December 8, 2025. [Sec. 172.023]

Candidate Application

In order to become the Republican or Democratic Party nominee for a particular office, you must file an application (PDF) for a place on the ballot with the county or state party chair, as appropriate (see chart). [Sec. 172.022]
Candidates for federal office must file a federal application (PDF).

Filing Fee or Petition in Lieu of Filing Fee

The application for a place on the primary ballot must be accompanied by either a filing fee or a petition in lieu of filing fee (PDF) signed by a certain number of qualified voters.
For details on the filing fee amount or number of petition signatures needed, see chart below.

Judicial Candidates

Candidates for certain judicial offices must provide additional information with their judicial application (PDF) for a place on the ballot. [Sec. 141.0311] See Running for a Judicial Office in 2026 for more information.
Candidates running for Courts of Appeals in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 14th, 15th Districts and all candidates running for judicial offices in Bexar, Dallas, Harris, and Tarrant Counties, including justice of the peace, must file additional petitions (PDF).
Candidates running for chief justice or justice of the Supreme Court, or presiding judge or judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals must also file an additional petition using the Petition for a Judicial Office with the Texas Supreme Court or Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in a Primary Election (PDF).

Withdrawal

A candidate may withdraw their application and have their name omitted from the ballot by submitting a notarized Certificate of Withdrawal (PDF) or a notarized letter to the same filing authority.
The deadline for a candidate to submit their withdrawal is Tuesday, December 9, 2025.

NEW LAW: Pursuant to SB 901 (89th Leg., R.S.), effective September 1, 2025, a person who files an application with more than one political party (primary or convention) is ineligible for a place on the ballot for a general primary election, nomination by convention, and the succeeding general election as an independent candidate or as a write-in candidate. [Sec. 162.0151] See our FAQs on Party Affiliation and Candidacy for more details about how primary voting or candidacy affects (or does not affect) candidacy in the general election.

Public Office Sought in 2026	File Application with Party Chair		Additional Information Required	Filing Fee	Nominating Petition in Lieu of Filing Fee
Public Office Sought in 2026	State	County	Additional Information Required	Filing Fee	%Signatures ^c	Number of Signatures ^h
United States Senator	x	-	-	$5,000	-	5000
United States Representative	x ^a	-	-	$3,125	2%	500
Governor	x	-	-	$3,750	-	5000
Lieutenant Governor	x	-	-	$3,750	-	5000
Attorney General	x	-	-	$3,750	-	5000
Comptroller of Public Accounts	x	-	-	$3,750	-	5000
Commissioner of General Land Office	x	-	-	$3,750	-	5000
Railroad Commissioner	x	-	-	$3,750	-	5000
Justice, Supreme Court ^g	x	-	x	$3,750	-	5000
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals ^g	x	-	x	$3,750	-	5000
Chief Justice and Justice, 15th Court of Appeals ^b	x	-	x	$2,500 ^e	2%	500
State Senator	x ^a	-	-	$1,250	2%	500
State Representative	x ^a	-	-	$750	2%	500
Member, State Board of Education	x ^a	-	-	$300	2%	500
Chief Justice and Justice, Court of Appeals ^b	x ^a	-	x	$2,500 / $1,875 ^e	2%	500
District Judge ^b	x ^a	-	x	$2,500 / $1,500 ^f	2%	500
Criminal District Judge ^b	x ^a	-	x	$2,500 / $1,500 ^f	2%	500
Family District Judge ^b	x ^a	-	x	$2,500 / $1,500 ^f	2%	500
District Attorney	x ^a	-	-	$1,250	2%	500
Criminal District Attorney	x ^a	-	-	$1,250	2%	500
County Judge	-	x	-	$1,250 / $750 ^d	2%	500
Judge, County Court-at-Law ^b	-	x	x	$2,500 / $1,500 ^f	2%	500
Judge, County Criminal Court ^b	-	x	x	$2,500 / $1,500 ^f	2%	500
Judge, County Probate Court ^b	-	x	x	$2,500 / $1,500 ^f	2%	500
County Attorney	-	x	-	$1,250 / $750 ⁱ	2%	500
District Clerk	-	x	-	$1,250 / $750 ^d	2%	500
County Clerk	-	x	-	$1,250 / $750 ^d	2%	500
District/County Clerk	-	x	-	$1,250 / $750 ^d	2%	500
Tax Assessor-Collector	-	x	-	$1,250 / $750 ^d	2%	500
County Treasurer	-	x	-	$1,250 / $750 ^d	2%	500
County Surveyor	-	x	-	$75	2%	500
County Commissioner	-	x	-	$1,250 / $750 ^d	2%	500
Sheriff	-	x	-	$1,250 / $750 ^d	2%	500
Constable	-	x	-	$1,000 / $375 ^d	2%	500
Justice of the Peace ^b	-	x	-	$1,000 / $375 ^d	2%	500
Source: Texas Election Code Section	172.022		141.0311	172.024	172.025

File with county chair if district is comprised of only one county.
Section 172.021 states petition requirements for certain judicial candidates. For candidates running for Courts of Appeals in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 14th, and 15th Districts and all candidates running for judicial offices in Bexar, Dallas, Harris, and Tarrant Counties, including justice of the peace, a 250-signature judicial petition is required in addition to the filing fee, or 750 signatures must be collected on the petition in lieu of filing fee. SB 1045 (2023, R.S.) created the Fifteenth Court of Appeals. While the court is composed of all counties in Texas, the qualifications and filing requirements are the same as the other court of appeals districts.
Percentage of all votes for all gubernatorial candidates cast in the applicable territory in the 2022 general election. If number is less than 50, the required number of signatures is the lesser of (1) 50 or (2) 20% of all votes for all gubernatorial candidates cast in the applicable territory in the 2022 general election.
Pay higher fee if county has at least 200,000 inhabitants according to 2020 Census.
Pay higher fee in Courts of Appeals Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 14, and 15. [Sec. 172.024(7), (8)]
Pay higher fee in Bexar, Dallas, Harris, and Tarrant Counties. [Sec. 172.024(10), (12)]
Section 172.021(g) provides that a candidate for the office of chief justice or justice of the Supreme Court, or presiding judge or judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals, who chooses to pay the filing fee must also accompany the application and fee with a petition. The minimum number of signatures that must appear on the petition is 50 from each of the fifteen court of appeals districts, for a total requirement of 750 signatures.
The minimum number of signatures that must appear on a candidate’s petition for statewide office is 5000. The minimum number of signatures that must appear on a candidate’s petition for district, county or precinct office is the lesser of (1) 500 or (2) 2% of the total vote received in the district, county or precinct, as applicable, by all gubernatorial candidates in the 2022 general election, subject to (c) above. [Sec. 172.025]
Pay higher fee if county attorney performs the duties of a district attorney. [Sec. 172.024(13)]