- Presides over commissioners court, county’s policy-making body. Helps adopt county budget, sets county tax rates, oversees building and maintaining county infrastructure, and other county government operations.
- Serves as judge of county court, taking on misdemeanor criminal and small civil cases, probate matters, and appeals from the justice of the peace court.
- Performs administration duties, ranging from hearings for beer and wine license applications to calling elections. Can serve as budget officer in counties with a smaller population.
- Serves as county’s emergency management director, with authority to designate an assistant to emergency management issues as emergency management coordinator.
- Represents county at ceremonial occasions and on various boards and committees, including Election Commission, Workforce Governing Board, and Bail Bond Board.
- County Judges are elected in a partisan, county-wide election to a four-year term. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, have been a Texas resident for at least 12 consecutive months, a county resident for at least six consecutive months, and registered to vote in that county.
- The annual salary for county judges range from $47,425 to $198,921, set by the county’s commissioners court.

Leads your county’s policy-making board.

Collin

This sample ballot may not include all local party roles or measures on the official ballot. The listed candidates serve only within their party, and the propositions do not change the law.

Texas

2026 Texas General Election

2026 Texas Primary Election

2026 Texas Primary Runoff

Judicial Efficiency

Election Oversight

Economy

Public Services

Public Safety

Transportation & Infrastructure

Education

Public Health

Energy & the Environment

County Judge

- Serves as clerk of county’s commissioners court, attending and recording all sessions, as well as holding all records associated with the Court. Also assists county judge in court agenda preparation and posting notice for each meeting, along with other services requested by the Court.
- Works with judges, defendants, jurors, and attorneys of various courts, doing things like filing cases, issuing processes, maintaining minutes of court proceedings, collecting costs and fines, and arranging for commitments and appeals.
Administers all county and state elections as chief elections officer, except when the Commissioners Court has the tax assessor-collector or county elections administrator do that.
- Can serve as county recorder, where they determine whether a document is suitable for filing.They maintain documents like birth, death, and marriage certificates and real estate records, and act as a liaison to the Vital Statistics Section of the Texas Department of State Health Services.
- County clerks are elected through partisan, county-wide elections to four-year terms. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, have been a Texas resident for at least 12 consecutive months, a county resident for at least six consecutive months, and registered to vote in that county.
- The annual salary for county clerks range from $42,000 to $183,999, set by the county’s commissioners court.

Serves as clerk of county court and commissioners court.

Administration

County Clerk

- County commissioners vote on the budget and appropriations, which fund essential county services like road maintenance.
- They create and enforce civil and criminal laws that align with state regulations, including land use and construction codes.
- Commissioners implement state and federal mandates while overseeing county agencies and public buildings.
- They also set tax rates for the county and its subdivisions.
- Each Texas county has four commissioners and a county judge, forming the local governing body known as the Commissioners Court.

Taxes

Housing & Urban Development

County Commissioner

- A County Court-At-Law judge handles misdemeanors, such as assault of a family member, property theft between $750 and $2,500, and using force against a law enforcement officer. They also handle civil cases where the amount in question does not exceed $200,000. 
- County Court-At-Law judges conduct arraignments, pre-trial hearings, and jury trials, as well as accept guilty pleas. 
- They are elected in a partisan, county-wide election to a four-year term. 
- Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 25 years old, have been a Texas and county resident for at least 24 consecutive months, a practicing lawyer and/or judge in Texas for at least four years, and registered to vote in that county.
- The annual salary for County Court-At-Law Judges ranges from $174,000 to $244,500, depending on years of service and how much they receive as a county supplement.

Handles civil and criminal cases from District Courts.

Legal Experience

Judicial Philosophy

Judicial Administration

Ethics & Conduct

Community Involvement

County Court-At-Law Judge

- Serves as clerk and custodian of all records for district courts. Supports attorney general and child protective services courts.
- Indexes and secures all court records and verdicts, collects filing fees, and handles funds held in litigation and money awarded to minors. Also manages court registry funds and may process passport applications.
- Fulfills requests from attorneys or via court order to issue documents, collecting fees and distributing them to state and local agencies monthly.
- Gathers data and reports to various agencies to assist county, state, and Texas Legislature in proper operation of courts, effectiveness of statues, and any need for changes.
- Often in courtroom, filing documents, administrating oaths to defendants, witnesses, and jurors, and assists judge in docket management. Coordinates jury panel selection process and acts as liaison between jurors, courts, and employers.
- District clerks are elected through partisan, county-wide elections to four-year terms. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, have been a Texas resident for at least 12 consecutive months, a county resident for at least six consecutive months, and registered to vote in that county.
- The annual salary for district clerks range from $35,236 to $207,952, set by the county’s Commissioners Court.

Preserves records for and serves as clerk in district courts.

Economic Growth

District Clerk

- Justices of the Peace oversee Justice Courts, trial courts for civil cases up to $20,000, and misdemeanor cases punishable only by fine. They also perform marriages, issue warrants, conduct preliminary hearings, and serve as notaries.
- Texas has 835 Justice Courts, each presided over by a single judge. Every county has between one and eight precincts based on the county's population, each with its own Justice Court.
- Justices of the Peace are elected through partisan, precinct-wide election to four-year terms. 
- Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, have been a Texas resident for at least 12 consecutive months, a district resident for at least six consecutive months, and registered to vote in that precinct.
- The annual salary for Justices of the Peace ranges from $19,207 to $151,805 and is by the county's Commissioners Court.


Presides over civil cases and fine-only misdemeanor cases.

Policing

Justice of the Peace

- Texas county probate judges handle all cases in probate, including estate administration, wills, guardianships, and incapacitation cases.
- There are a total of 24 probate judges across 12 counties within the state.
- They are paid an annual salary between $158,000 and $193,400.

2026 Texas candidates

Collin County Judge, Democratic Primary

1 candidate

How this impacts you

Collin County Clerk, Democratic Primary

1 candidate

How this impacts you

Collin County Commissioner, District 4, Democratic Primary

1 candidate

Collin County Court-At-Law Judge, Republican Primary

1 candidate

Collin County Commissioner, District 2, Republican Primary

1 candidate

Collin District Clerk, Republican Primary

1 candidate

How this impacts you

Collin Justice of the Peace, Justice Precinct 4, Republican Primary

3 candidates

How this impacts you

Collin County Court-At-Law Judge, Republican Primary

1 candidate

Collin Probate Court Judge, Republican Primary

1 candidate

Collin County Commissioner, District 4, Republican Primary

2 candidates