JOINT PRIMARY ELECTION

By: Harris County Clerk’s Office Election’s Department Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth announced today that the Republican and Democratic Parties in Texas’ largest county have agreed to conduct a joint election during the March 5, 2024 Primary election cycle.  is means that the two political parties will jointly hold the election in common precincts, and voters from both parties will be able to cast ballots using the same voting equipment on Election Day. In previous years, the parties have held separate primary elections. & “Conducting a Joint Primary will be a first in the history of Harris County,” said Clerk Hudspeth, the County’s Chief Election Official. “I commend the Chairs of each party and their executive committees for their due diligence in arriving at an accord that addresses the challenges presented by new legislation and best serves Republican and Democratic Primary voters.” & Senate Bill 924, passed during the 2023 Legislative session, provides that voting precincts cannot be combined in the conduct of a primary election. As a result, the political parties must open significantly more polling locations for their primaries, making it more challenging to conduct separate elections due to a lack of resources. & “For Democratic and Republican...