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Procedures for Write-In Candidates in 2026

In Texas, a candidate may run for office as a declared write-in in the general election for state and county officers.  A declared write-in candidate must submit a Declaration of Write-in Candidacy and submit a filing fee or petition in lieu of a filing fee in order for votes cast for that candidate to be counted in the election.

• Filing Period
• The Declaration of Write-in Candidacy along with the filing fee or petition in lieu of a filing fee must be submitted no earlier than July 18, 2026, and no later than 5:00 p.m. on August 17, 2026.  [Sec. 146.025] 
• Candidate Application
• In order to become a write-in candidate in the general election, a candidate must file a Declaration of Write-in Candidacy (PDF) with the Secretary of State or your county judge, as appropriate (see chart).  [Sec. 146.023] 
• Filing Fee or Petition in Lieu of a Filing Fee
• The declaration must be accompanied by either a filing fee or a Petition in Lieu of a 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.  [Secs. 146.023(b), 146.0231, 146.0232] 
• Judicial Candidates
• Candidates for certain judicial offices must provide additional information with their judicial declaration of write-in candidacy (PDF). [Sec. 141.0311)  See Running for a Judicial Office in 2026 for more information.
• 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 Monday, August 24, 2026.

A person who was a candidate for office in the primary election is ineligible for a place on the list of write-in candidates for that same office in the succeeding general election for state and county officers.  [Sec. 162.015]

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.

1. Percentage of all votes for all gubernatorial candidates cast in the applicable territory in the 2022 general election. If number is less than 50, a larger percentage may be required. 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.  [Secs. 146.0232, 172.025] 
2. Pay higher fee if county has at least 200,000 inhabitants according to 2020 Census.
3. Pay higher fee in Courts of Appeals Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 14, and 15.  [Secs. 146.0231, 172.024(7), (8)] 
4. Pay higher fee in Bexar, Dallas, Harris, and Tarrant Counties.  [Sec. 146.0231, 172.024(9)-(12)] 
5. 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 (a) above.  [Sec. 172.025] 
6. Pay higher fee if county attorney performs the duties of a district attorney.  [Sec. 172.024(13)]