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Major Party Candidates Information

Candidate Eligibility

The general eligibility requirements to be a candidate for a public elective office in Texas are that a person must:

  1. be a United States citizen;
  2. be 18 years of age or older on the first day of the term to be filled at the election;
  3. have not been determined mentally incompetent by a final judgment of a court;
  4. have not been finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities;
  5. have resided continuously in the state for 12 months and in the territory from which the office is elected for 6 months immediately preceding a date which varies according to the candidate’s status;
  6. satisfy any other eligibility requirements prescribed by law for the office.

These requirements do not apply to an office for which the federal or state constitution or a statute outside the Texas Election Code prescribes exclusive eligibility requirements (Texas Election Code Ann. §141.001 [Vernon 1986]).

Procedures for Filing

In order to become a candidate with a major political party, one must file an application with the county or state party chair and pay a filing fee (ID §§ 172.022, 172.024). A candidate also has the option of filing a petition in lieu of the filing fee (ID § 172.025).  The application and petition forms are available through your local party officials, the Secretary of State, or the Hays County Elections Administrator’s office.

Please contact the state chair of the Democratic, Libertarian, or Republican Party for information on party rules.  State party chair addresses are as follows:

Texas Republican Party Texas Democratic Party Libertarian Party of Texas
State Chairman James Dickey Gilberto Hinojosa, Chair John Wilford, Chair
211 E. 7th St., #915
Austin, TX  78701
P.O. Box 2206
Austin, TX  78768
1106 Lavaca St., #100
Austin, TX  78701
P.O. Box 116
Austin, TX  78767
111 Congress Ave., Suite 400
Austin, TX  78701
phone: (512) 477-9821
fax: (512) 480-0709
phone: (512) 478-9800
fax: (512) 480-2500
toll-free: (800) 422-1776
phone: (512) 279-7860
fax: (512) 233-0613
www.texasgop.org www.txdemocrats.org www.lptexas.org
info@texasgop.org yellowdog@txdemocrats.org
press@txdemocrats.org
webmaster@lptexas.org
Facebook: Republican Party of Texas Facebook: Texas Democratic Party Facebook: Libertarian Party of Texas
Twitter: Texas GOP Twitter: Texas Democrats Twitter: Libertarian Party of Texas

Financial Disclosure Requirements

The Texas Election Code requires each candidate to file a designation of campaign treasurer and periodic sworn statements of their contributions and expenditures with the appropriate official to satisfy financial disclosure requirements.  For information on financial disclosure laws, visit the Texas Ethics Commission at www.ethics.state.tx.us or via one of the following methods:

Phone 512.463.5800    TDD 800.735.2989

Physical Address:
Sam Houston Bldg.
201 East 14th St., 10th Floor
Austin, TX  78701

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 12070
Austin, TX  78711-2070

E-mail Addresses:
openrecords@ethics.state.tx.us
treasappoint@ethics.state.tx.us
formsecurity@ethics.state.tx.us
affidavits@ethics.state.tx.us
public_comments@ethics.state.tx.us (comments on proposed TEC rules)
sworncomplaints@ethics.state.tx.us

Hays County