Record turnout in 2026 Texas primaries, several runoff races set for May

A rule change for primary voting in two Texas counties led to mass voter confusion that eventually led to a state supreme court ruling, threats of more legal action, and the potential that an untold number of voters could find themselves disenfranchised.

An unknown number of voters in the counties were turned away Tuesday and directed to different precincts after the recent change in how the primary is conducted.

Voters had been allowed to cast their ballots anywhere in their county since 2019. But for Tuesday's primary, the Republican parties in Dallas and Williamson counties opted against countywide voting.

That meant voters could cast ballots only at their assigned precinct, but many weren't aware of the change.

SEE FULL REPORT: Change in primary voting rules leads to confusion in 2 Texas counties as voters are turned away

With nearly 92% of the votes tallied, Jasmine Crockett conceded the Democratic primary in the Texas Senate race to James Talarico.

The congresswoman called on the party to unify behind the state representative, who clinched the nomination overnight.

"Texas is primed to turn blue, and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person," Crockett said in a statement. "This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track."

Crockett's campaign had previously suggested that she would file a lawsuit over voting challenges in the primary. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to a question about those plans.

Talarico will face the winner of the Republican runoff, either Sen. John Cornyn or state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

It's a close race for county judge in Montgomery County, with Republican Mark Keough expected to win.

The numbers show Keough has a very slim lead of just 1,500 votes over opponent Wayne Mack.

Meanwhile, in Harris County, Republican Orlando Sanchez leads that race, as does Democrat Annise Parker.

In Fort Bend County, it appears current Judge KP George will lose his seat, coming in last on the Republican ticket. Daniel Wong received 54% of the vote in a crowded race.

On the Democratic ticket, Dexter McCoy has the lead as we start looking ahead to the November midterms.

For news updates, follow Charly Edsitty on Facebook, X and Instagram.

State Rep. James Talarico topped Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in Texas' closely watched Democratic Senate primary.

He'll face the winner of a May runoff for the Republican nomination between Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton. Cornyn and Paxton were the top finishers in a three-way contest Tuesday with Rep. Wesley Hunt.

No GOP candidate hit the 50% vote threshold needed to win outright. Texas, along with North Carolina and Arkansas, on Tuesday kicked off midterm elections with control of Congress at stake and against the backdrop of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

No Democrat has won a statewide race in the reliably Republican state in over 30 years, but in a statement after his victory, Talarico proclaimed, "We're about to take back Texas."

Crockett's campaign said she planned to sue over voting issues in Dallas, and she spoke only briefly on Tuesday night to warn that "people have been disenfranchised."