Early Primary voting 2024 opens today throughout Dallas County and is being run by the Dallas County Elections Department.
The Texas Elections chief, the Secretary of State Jane Nelson reported almost 18M voters on the registration rolls.
Voters must choose whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican primary. Voters who signed petitions for ballot access for Green or Libertarian candidates are ineligibile to participate in other party primaries.
The deadline to register to vote was February 5.
Early voting for the primary elections will run through March 1.
Early Primary Voting 2024
Other Side Dallas will update our community on local breaking Dallas news including local elections, crime, and education.
Almost 18M registered voters are on the rolls in Texas for the 2024 Democratic and Republican Primary on March 5, 2024.
Texas Elections Chief, Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced Texas has 17,948,242 million registered voters. The last day to register in time for the primary election was February 5.
“Nearly 18 million Texans are registered to vote, and my office and election officials across the state are working to make sure all Texas voters are ready to cast a ballot,” said Secretary Nelson.
Early voting for the primary elections begins Tuesday, February 20, and runs through March 1.
“Early voting is a convenient way to cast your ballot and avoid the rush of Election Day,” said Secretary Nelson.
She continues, “Now is a good time to plan when you will vote and decide what form of photo ID you will bring to the polls.”
During early voting, Texans may cast a ballot at any polling location in their county of registration.
Voter ID Required For Almost 18M Registered Voters
When casting a ballot in person, voters are required to show one of the following approved forms of photo ID:
Texas Driver License
Texas Personal Identification Card
Passport
Texas Handgun License
Military Identification Card
Citizenship Certificate
Texas Election Identification Card
Voters who do not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of the seven approved forms of photo identification may still vote.
Voters will be asked to fill out a Reasonable Impediment Declaration at the polls and present an alternative form of identification. Those alternative identifications include a utility bill, bank statement, government check, or a voter registration certificate.
Voter Choice
During the primary elections, voters will need to indicate in which party primary they want to vote.
Voters who signed a petition for a candidate from the Libertarian or Green Parties are not eligible to vote in the primary.
For more information on ID requirements and voting deadlines, please visit VoteTexas.gov for official information or call 1-800-252-VOTE.
Other Side Dallas will update our community on local breaking Dallas news including local elections, crime, and education.
A new ad from Simon hits Ginsberg for underperforming in the 2022 HD108 race after it was gerrymandered to help incumbent Morgan Meyer.
Several local Democratic precinct chairs commented on Simon’s own ad post they didn’t appreciate her “negativity.” There were also complaints she was misrepresenting Ginsberg’s performance.
Other Democrats have privately ask “who is Yasmin Simon?”
One precinct chair said she plopped out of the sky and “started donating to candidates and causes.” They continued, “has she ever got her hands dirty except going negative on Liz?”
The Dallas Morning News also asked about her donation history which included Republican U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran.
He previously served as Smith County Judge while Simon was working on an opioid lawsuit which netted her significant legal fees.
HD108 Gets Rough – Will It Get Worse?
Questions exist over how dirty the HD108 race will go. Numerous commentators believe Morgan Meyer is vulnerable this cycle.
Meyer will face whoever wins the Democratic primary if he gets through his own.
Barry Wernick filed for 108 also and appears to be allied with Allen West’s campaign for Dallas County Republican Chairman.
Other Side Dallas will update our community on local breaking Dallas news including local elections, crime, and education.
(Editors note: this is an updated article with a copy of the video ad.)
The Dallas County Elections office is located at 1520 Round Table Drive in Dallas. The office is open from 07:00AM until 07:00PM today with extended hours.
Voters who move, change apartments, or change names must be update their voter information to be eligible to vote.
Online voter registration is NOT allowed in Texas.
There are third-party voter registration websites, but they are not valid.
Voter Registration Ends Today – Be Counted
Texas Elections are run by the Texas Secretary of State and managed at the local level.
Other Side Dallas continues to be your source for local breaking Dallas news on elections, education, and crime.
Wernick files for 108 in a 2024 primary challenge to Morgan Meyer in the Park Cities/Preston Hollow district.
In a press release prior to Election Day 2023, Wernick cites Meyer’s connection to lobbyists and leftists. His announcement is below.
Wernick’s campaign site focuses on “liberty over tyranny”, “election integrity”, and “border security” among his top three listed issues. It is unclear if these are focal areas for voters in HD108.
Wernick previously ran for Dallas city council against Jaynie Schultz. That campaign was marred by doctored audio of his opponent.
Wernick Files For 108: How Does The “Other” Wernick Shape Race?
Another question in his bid for the 108th is his mother, Diane Benjamin.
In 2021, she claimed on Nextdoor someone decapitated a squirrel and placed it on her property. Benjamin was then credited with hurting Candy Evans’ campaign for city council after hijacking a meeting on public safety.
Benajamin has been active in GOP politics for decades, but it isn’t clear what role, if any, she will play on the campaign.
Same Stuff Different Day is the moniker for Dallas after an abysmal turnout in yesterday’s city and school board elections.
Incumbent mayor Eric Johnson and D12 city council member Cara Mendelsohn won uncontested races – though Johnson had almost 7 percent of his races voters go to write in candidates.
Same Stuff Different Day Not New For Dallas
Incumbents won across the board leaving only open races to be decided.
City council members earn two year seats during elections whereas the mayor will fill a four year term.
District 1
Chad West beat both Mariana Griggs who ran a campaign without fundraising and Albert Mata, a political newcomer and data engineering professional.
Outgoing city council member Casey Thomas publicly endorsed Zarin Gracey to replace him and Gracey will go to a run off with Joe Tave. Gracey is a pastor and served on both the City Plan Commission and the Dallas Public Facility Corporation.
Tave is a retired teacher and talk show host.
The two held off a field of five.
District 4
District 4 voters will continue to have Carolyn King Arnold speaking for them on the record. She handled first time challenger and accountant Jamie Smith for her fourth election victory.
Ms. Arnold also serves as Mayor Pro Tem on Dallas City Council.
District 5
Jaime Resendez, the former school board member and lawyer, easily beat Terry Perkins and Yolanda Faye Williams.
The two have previously faced Resendez – always coming up short in the Pleasant Grove district.
District 6
Like District 5, Omar Narvaez beat a familiar opponent. This is his fourth election to city council and fourth time beating former city council member Monica Alonzo.
Narvaez has also been selected to serve as Mayor Pro Tem.
District 7
Adam Bazaldua narrowly avoided a runoff election against Tracy Dotie Hill, a local real estate broker.
The four person race finished with Bazaldua just over the fifty percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff.
Bazaldua previously challenged Tracy Dotie Hill for Democratic Precinct Chair 1084 – losing that race almost two to one.
District 8
Tennell Atkins continues on city council. He beat Subrina Lynn Brenham and Davante Peters for his second fourth term.
Atkins was elected in 2007 and served through 2015 when he was term limited out of office. He was then elected again in 2017.
Atkins is a perfect example of the same stuff different day Dallas mentality.
District 9
Former Chief of Staff to Mayor Mike Rawlings Paula Blackmon was re-elected to her third term.
Her district includes White Rock Lake and far East Dallas.
District 10
The former Uptown Dallas Inc. executive director Kathy Stewart won this four way open race without a run off.
Other candidates included former city community development commissioner Brian Hasenbauer, online news site publisher Sirrano Keith Baldeo. Baldeo had previously run for the seat.
Outgoing city council member Adam McGough had endorsed Kathy Stewart in the race.
District 11
Perhaps the ugliest race this year was in D11 where three time candidate Candy Evans lost to Jaynie Schultz.
Schultz won her second term and Candy Evans lost her third race for the seat in six years. She previously challenged Lee Kleinman in 2019 and didn’t make the runoff in 2021.
District 13
Like in District 11, Gay Donnell Willis won her second term.
She was opposed by rental property manager Priscilla Shacklett.
District 13 includes large swaths of northwest Dallas and wraps the Park City area.
District 14
Paul Ridley, a retired lawyer, staved off two opponents in District 14.
Amanda Tenpenny Schultz, a real estate broker, and Joseph F. Miller, a retired transit engineer, combined could not keep Ridley from winning without a runoff. Schultz is a former park board member.
All in all it appears city voters were unmoved by crime numbers and exploding property taxes enough to get out and vote.
Per some though her worst sin is her politicism of the seat.
“Incumbent Jaynie Schultz has also abandoned half her voters in her district trying to make this a red-blue partisan race in a nonpartisan district,” said one former Democratic Party precinct chair.
“Jaynie just needed to take care of her constituents the past two years…”
“…instead she lived up to the bad hype: she ran to be something, not do something.”
She went on, “Jaynie has been a disaster on housing. She created quality of life issues for those living in area and hasn’t helped the homeless.”
“Jaynie isn’t even protecting staff trying to clean up these encampments.”
Voters complain Schultz has repeatedly promised weekly clean ups of encampments under I-75, but they don’t happen.
The Dirty D11 Race
Some political onlookers say it appears the low voter turnout has Schultz worried.
There is no top of the ballot reason to get out and vote and Jaynie doesn’t motivate people with her “vanilla service.”
Her staff started emailing out – at taxpayer expense – almost every other day “reports” of district successes and information. The emails could have easily come from a targeted campaign flyer though.
Election day is Saturday, May 6, and right now roughly three percent of eligible city voters have gone to the polls.
Allred to tackle Cruz? A rumor circulating in both Dallas and DC circles this weekend is that Collin Allred will challenge Ted Cruz in 2024.
Colin Allred was a NFL linebacker and then civil rights attorney in the Obama administration.
After Beto O’Rourke’s loss against Greg Abbott and John Cornyn the path forward seems tough. It begs the question: How does Allred tackle Cruz in a statewide race?
Allred beat Pete Sessions in 2018 – the son of former FBI Director William Sessions. The senior sessions was the first FBI Director removed from office.
The 32nd Congressional District is also a safe Democratic seat after redistricting. It is unclear Allred’s long term plans given the uphill nature of the battle in front of him.
Since his election, Allred has reportedly been a prolific fundraiser and has brought dignitaties to Dallas, but his record is otherwise thin on accomplishments.
As usual Dallas County will be responsible for the elections for both members of city council and Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees.
Lauren Davis won’t take no for an answer from Dallas voters and is already preparing a run for Mayor of Dallas.
A phone text survey went out Saturday and Sunday per multiple readers asking would recipients prefer Davis or Eric Johnson. Lurking in the not so distant shadows is Michael Hinojosa and possibly Adam Bazaldua.
It appears Davis may be ready to continue the abuse of the Dallas voter for another campaign cycle.
It is unclear who is paying for the polling since there was no TEC required disclosure.
Lauren Davis Won’t Take No Or Yes
Davis received notoriety for pushing campus protests at Dealey Montessori during the 2021-2022 school year. Those protests culminated with dangerous posts by her business The Gents Place about preferred firearms between the AK47 and M16. Dealey Montessori previously was considered a crown jewel of Dallas Independent School District.
Davis recently lost the County Judge election against Clay Jenkins by a nearly two-to-one margin. This was more than one hundred thousand vote separation.
Davis made her entire campaign about her personal victimhood during the Dealey saga she created. She is also said to have pulled down other GOP candidates forced to run with her including JJ Koch and Greg Shalan in reliably red areas.
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