- 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.

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

Taxes

Economy

Public Services

Housing & Urban Development

Public Safety

Transportation & Infrastructure

Energy & the Environment

County Commissioner

- Serves as license peace officer who issues traffic citations, conduct criminal investigations, and other law enforcement functions throughout the county. Also serves warrants and civil papers like subpoenas, intents to sue, eviction notices, and temporary restraining orders.
- Serves as bailiff for Justice Court, and must be present–or have one of their Deputy Constables present–during hearings. They serve and execute Civil Process and Civil Court orders.
- Expected to interfere without warrant to prevent or suppress crime as authorized by the Code of Criminal Procedure. They are also expected to arrest offenders without warrants in every case where they are authorized to take them to be tried by the proper court or magistrate.
- County Constables 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. Additionally, they must be a licensed peace officer through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, attend and complete a police academy, complete bi-annual training, and fulfill continuing education requirements.
- The annual salary for County Constable ranges from $0 to over $155,000, set by the county’s Commissioners Court.

Performs civil and criminal law enforcement functions and serves legal documents.

Policing

Judicial Efficiency

Criminal Justice

County Constable

- Handles cases for Class A misdemeanors–including assault of a family member, property theft between $750 and $2,500, and using force against a law enforcement officer when resisting or evading arrest–and Class B misdemeanors–including criminal mischief and property theft between $100 and $750.
- Serves as an appellate judge for cases from local courts. They work on all cases they receive until they are closed or appealed to a higher court.
- County criminal court-at-law judges 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 criminal 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 various misdemeanors and criminal appeals from local courts.

Dallas

Legal Experience

Judicial Administration

Judicial Philosophy

Ethics & Conduct

Community Involvement

County Criminal Court at Law 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.

Election Oversight

Administration

County 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.

Justice of the Peace

Lone Oak

Celeste

Wolfe City

Josephine

Greenville

Hawk Cove

Quinlan

West Tawakoni

Neylandville

Campbell

Caddo Mills

Union Valley

Royse City

Commerce

La Grulla

Escobares

San Diego

Roma

Rio Grande City

Benavides

Freer

Tomball

Spring Valley Village

Baytown

League City

Friendswood

Houston

Galena Park

Taylor Lake Village

Deer Park

Waller

Webster

Missouri City

Katy

Jersey Village

Morgan's Point

Bellaire

Jacinto City

Nassau Bay

South Houston

Pasadena

Humble

Bunker Hill Village

Piney Point Village

Hedwig Village

Hunters Creek Village

Hilshire Village

Seabrook

Shoreacres

Southside Place

West University Place

El Lago

Pearland

La Porte

Brookshire

Pine Island

Pattison

Thompsons

Hempstead

Kendleton

Ellinger

East Bernard

Brazos Country

Eagle Lake

Wallis

Industry

Fayetteville

Weimar

Bellville

San Felipe

Round Top

Schulenburg

Carmine

Prairie View

La Grange

Columbus

Sealy

Sugar Land

Flatonia

El Campo

Wharton

Ingleside on the Bay

Corpus Christi

Manor

Martindale

Austwell

Portland

Aransas Pass

Niederwald

Seadrift

Bastrop

San Marcos

Gregory

Palacios

Uhland

Lockhart

Webberville

Victoria

Bay City

Mustang Ridge

Full profiles for 15 counties, including Collin and Dallas

Full profiles for down to counties, including Bexar and Brazoria

2026 Texas candidates

Dallas County Commissioner, District 2, Democratic Primary

1 candidate

Dallas County Constable, Justice Precinct 1, Democratic Primary

3 candidates

How this impacts you

Dallas County Criminal Court at Law Judge, Democratic Primary

2 candidates

How this impacts you

Dallas County Clerk, Democratic Primary

3 candidates

How this impacts you

Dallas Justice of the Peace, Justice Precinct 2, Democratic Primary

2 candidates

How this impacts you

Dallas County Criminal Court at Law Judge, Democratic Primary

1 candidate

How this impacts you

Dallas County Commissioner, District 2, Republican Primary

2 candidates

Dallas Justice of the Peace, Justice Precinct 1, Democratic Primary

3 candidates

How this impacts you

Dallas County Criminal Court at Law Judge, Democratic Primary

1 candidate

How this impacts you

Dallas County Criminal Court at Law Judge, Democratic Primary

2 candidates

How this impacts you