TEN Talks will PAUSE for June and July!

Our next TEN Talk will be held on August 1st.

Join us on Thursday, June 26 from 7-8 PM for an essential virtual briefing on the election law changes enacted during the 89th legislative session. The TEN Team and guests will provide a comprehensive review of the new legislation, explain implementation timelines, and analyze how these changes will impact the upcoming 2026 primary and midterm elections. Whether you're a candidate, campaign worker, or engaged citizen, understanding these new laws is crucial for effective civic participation. Register today for this informative Zoom session to stay ahead of the changing electoral landscape!

Runoff elections for races where no candidate received a majority of votes in the May 3rd elections are on Saturday, June 7th, 2025.

Election Deadlines:

May 8: Last day to register to vote for the June 7 Runoff Election

May 9: Last day to cure provisional ballots for voters who did not present a photo ID.

May 27: First day of early voting for the June 7th runoff election and the deadline to apply for a ballot by mail for that election (received, not postmarked).

June 3: Last day of early voting for the June 7th runoff election.

June 7: Runoff Election Day

SOS has released the Important Election Dates

for the March 3, 2026 Primary Election

**These dates are subject to changes from the 2025 legislative session**

Longer calendars are on the Conducting Your Elections pages when available.

State Senator Bob Hall’s SB 2753 will be a BIG CHANGE in the way elections will happen.

Elections will no longer be reported in 3 categories as they are now (Early Voting by Mail, Early Voting in Person, and Election Day), but will be reduced to two categories: Voting by Mail and Voting in Person.

The gap between Early Voting and Election Day would be removed to establish a single voting period that runs from the 12^th day before Election Day through Election Day, including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. All procedures which apply on Election Day would apply throughout the voting period.

Any location used as an Early Voting polling place must also be designated as an Election Day polling place.

SB 2753 was engrossed by the Senate on 05/06/2025, laid out in the House Elections Committee by Sponsor State Rep. Carrie Isaac on 05/15/2025, and voted out of the House Elections Committee on 05/16/2025. The House Elections committee substantially changed the language to make the new process a study for the SOS to examine the feasibility and necessary practices and procedures to integrate these changes, including costs, logistics, and methods. The bill was considered on calendars on 05/22/2025 and placed on the General State Calendar 05/24/2025. The bill was amended on the House floor to return to the original intent, except that it would not be implemented until 09/01/2027, giving everyone more time to study and prepare for the changes. To date, the Conference Committee still has to meet, all changes approved by both houses, and to be signed by Governor Abbott.

FIND OUT HOW A LEGISLATOR VOTED ON A BILL

Vote information on bills is included in the house or senate journal. The votes of individual representatives and senators are available only if (1) a record vote is requested at the time the vote takes place; or (2) when a record vote has not been taken, a member registers, within a specified time limit, a request to have his or her vote recorded in the journal.

The action history for a bill will provide the date and journal page number for each vote taken on the bill. To find a bill and its action history:

• If you know the number of the bill, use the bill status page
• If you know the author, sponsor, committee, or subject matter of the bill, use the bill search page
• If you know a key word or phrase in the bill, use the text search page

Once you have located the bill, scan the action history for vote actions. If a record vote was taken, a "Record Vote" action will be noted; for a house record vote, there will also be the abbreviation "RV" and a record number.

For sessions previous to the 89th Regular Session, use the following procedure to locate any vote in the journal:

• If the action was a house action, find the house journal for the specific date, go to the cited page, and search for the vote information. For a record vote, look for the phrase (Record ###) where ### is the record number given on the action list.
• If the action was a senate action, find the senate journal for the specific date, go to the cited page, and search for the vote information for the bill.

For the 89th Regular Session and following sessions, in addition to the procedures above, the action history provides quick links to certain votes:

• If the action was a house vote action, a "Record Vote" entry is highlighted. Click on the entry. Before the journal for that day is available, (1) an unofficial vote report will display if it is a record vote; or (2) a message that the journal is not available will display if it is not a record vote. Once the journal is available, the link will take you directly to the journal page that contains the vote. 

NOTE: During 89th Legislature sessions, only passage votes, highlighted by a "View House Vote" entry are highlighted. Information on non-passage votes for the 79th Legislature sessions can be found by using the cited journal page.

• If the action was a senate vote action, a "Record Vote" or "Vote Recorded in Journal" action is highlighted. Click on the action. If the journal for that day is not yet available, a message to that effect will display. Once the journal is available, the link will take you directly to the journal page that contains the vote information.

Also, for the 89th Regular Session and following sessions, a feature has been added to enable the user to find, for a given date, all bills on which "quick-linked" votes were taken.

• For vote actions in the house, go to the House Votes by Date page
• For vote actions in the senate, go to the Senate Votes by Date page

Governor’s Action on Bills

On receiving an enrolled bill, the governor has the option to sign it, veto it, or allow it to become law without a signature. The governor has 10 days in which to act unless the bill was sent to the governor within 10 days of final adjournment, in which case the governor has until 20 days after final adjournment to act. If the governor elects to veto the bill and the legislature is still in session, the bill is returned to the chamber in which it originated with an explanation of the governor’s objections. A two-thirds majority in each chamber is required to override the veto. If the governor neither vetoes nor signs the bill within the allotted time, the bill becomes law.

Once an enrolled bill is signed by the governor or the governor allows an enrolled bill to become law without a signature, the bill is forwarded to the secretary of state, where it is considered filed once the secretary of state signs it.

Effective Date

By default, if a bill does not specify an effective date, the bill becomes effective on the 91st day after the date of final adjournment of the session in which it was enacted. A bill may specify a different effective date, but in order to take effect before the default date, a bill must receive a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each chamber. If a bill specifying that it takes effect immediately receives the requisite two-thirds vote of the members, the bill takes effect on the date of the last action necessary for it to become law, which is:

• the date the governor approves the bill;

• the date the governor files the bill with the office of the secretary of state, having neither approved nor vetoed it;

• the date the appropriate period for gubernatorial action expires, if the governor fails to act within that period; or

• in the event of a veto, the date the veto is overridden.

In addition, a bill may make its effective date contingent on an event, on the expiration of a specified period after an event takes place, or on the adoption of a proposed constitutional amendment. Parts of a bill may take effect on different dates, or particular sections or applications of a bill may be delayed or accelerated.

Wednesday, May 28, 2025 (135th day) Last day for the House to consider local and consent Senate bills on 2nd and 3rd reading and all 3rd reading Senate bills and Senate joint resolutions on the supplemental calendar [House Rule 8, Sec. 13(c)]

Last day for the Senate to consider all bills and joint resolutions on 2nd or 3rd reading* [Senate Rule 7.25; Senate Rule 10.01 subjects joint resolutions to the rules governing proceedings on bills] [*The Senate deadline for passing all bills and joint resolutions does not take into consideration the House deadline for passing Senate bills and joint resolutions. Realistically, to be eligible for consideration by the House under its end-of-session deadlines, Senate bills and joint resolutions must be passed by the Senate and received by the House before the 130th day. Accordingly, even though Senate Rule 7.24(b) indicates the 137th day is the last day for Senate committees to report all bills and joint resolutions, the practical deadline for Senate committees to report is before the 130th day.]

Before midnight: deadline for the House to print and distribute House copies of a conference committee report on the general appropriations bill [relates to House Rule 13, Sec. 10(a), requiring 48-hour layout of a conference committee report on the general appropriations bill before consideration during a regular session, and House Rule 8, Sec. 13(e), establishing the deadline for adoption of conference committee reports]

Before midnight: deadline for the Senate to print and distribute Senate copies of conference committee reports on tax, general appropriations, and reapportionment bills [relates to Senate Rule 12.09(a), requiring 48-hour layout of certain conference committee reports before consideration in regular session, and Senate Rule 7.25, establishing the deadline for voting on a bill; Senate Rule 10.01 subjects joint resolutions to the rules governing proceedings on bills.]

Saturday, May 31, 2025, before midnight (138th day) Deadline for the House to print and distribute House copies of all conference committee reports on joint resolutions and on bills other than the general appropriations bill [relates to House Rule 13, Sec. 10(a), requiring 24-hour layout of certain conference committee reports, and House Rule 8, Sec. 13(e), establishing the deadline for adoption of conference committee reports]

Deadline for the Senate to print and distribute Senate copies of all conference committee reports on joint resolutions and on bills other than tax, general appropriations, and reapportionment bills [relates to Senate Rule 12.09(b), requiring 24-hour layout of certain conference committee reports before consideration during the last 72 hours of a regular session, and Senate Rule 7.25, establishing the deadline for voting on a bill; Senate Rule 10.01 subjects joint resolutions to the rules governing proceedings on bills]

As of 5/27/25, Number of bills this session...

Left pending in House Committee or Subcommittee: 2,727

Passed to Engrossment by the House: 1188

Left pending in Senate Committee or Subcommittee: 1307

Passed to Engrossment by the Senate: 1005

Bills signed by the Governor: 165

REGISTER TO ACCESS PREVIOUS TRAININGS

Texas Legislature Online (TLO) REGISTER

Effective Legislative Advocacy at the Texas Capitol REGISTER

ISSUE FORUM: Countywide vs. Precinct Polling Panel Discussion REGISTER

Bifurcation of the Texas Voter Roll REGISTER

Candidate Training REGISTER

Ranked Choice Voting: What it could mean for Texas Elections REGISTER

Texas Election Update: REGISTER

When you engage in campaigns, legislative advocacy, and electoral participation, you're not just following politics—you're actively shaping a more responsive Texas for everyone.

Your connection with TEN isn't just about staying informed—it's transforming Texas communities. Thanks to advocates like you, grassroots action is flourishing across our state, empowering everyday Texans with the tools and confidence to create meaningful change.

Your dedication to election integrity makes all the difference. It's passionate Texans like you—showing up consistently, staying informed on the issues, and taking decisive action—who truly bring our mission to life. Every action you take, from neighborhood conversations to statewide advocacy, moves us closer to the Texas we envision.



Thank you for your grassroots commitment and for championing our shared belief that lasting change begins with individual Texans taking a stand.

Melissa Conway

Texas Election Network

Managing Director

832-648-0770

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